Qadri and Imran

January 16, 2013 NAQI ZAFAR (KARACHI)

There's hardly any doubt that Dr Tahirul Qadri has completely overshadowed Imran Khan ever since former's arrival in the country last month. It is because of that pressure that Imran Khan has called Tuesday on President Asif Ali Zardari to resign immediately to make way for free and fair elections.

It is, however, an irony that Imran, who captained Pakistan to world cup victory in 1992, has no seat in parliament.

Imran is mindful of the fact that as things stand, the government has said it will disband parliament only in mid-March at the end of its mandate, after which elections would have to be held by mid-May. Tahir-ul Qadri is demanding that a caretaker government be set up immediately, in consultation with the military and the judiciary, and that it implement key reforms before elections are held. Imran is required to concede no further space to Qadri.