Despite warnings of attack, cleric begins march for reforms

Influential cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri Sunday began a "long march" from Lahore to Islamabad with thousands of his followers to pressure the Pakistan government to carry out wide-ranging reforms ahead of the upcoming general election.

Qadri, the head of the Tehrik Minhaj-ul-Quran, launched the march from his residence in Model Town. Some 5,000 supporters followed him in cars, buses and trucks. The cleric has claimed he will be joined by up to one million people as he makes his way through Punjab province towards the federal capital.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik warned Qadri that there were intelligence reports that terrorists would attack the march

Speaking to reporters outside his home, he claimed the PML-N government in Punjab had "sealed" the province to stop his march. He added the federal government had placed tankers filled with "acid and petrol" along the route to deter his supporters.

Describing his protest as a "democracy march", Qadri said: "The march will reach its destination and I warn the rulers not to create hurdle in its way". He said the march was aimed at protecting human rights, ending poverty and injustice and ensuring the supremacy of the Constitution.

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