Pakistani cleric Tahirul Qadri tests political voice in million-man march

The Arab spring seems a long way from Pakistan's extended winter of discontent.

Still, when religious scholar Tahirul Qadri talks about his hopes for the massive rally billed as the "Long March", which he has planned in Islamabad for today, one that he hopes will lure more than a million people into the streets of the quiet capital, the image he uses is that of Cairo's Tahrir Square.

Government leaders have tried to warn the grey-bearded mullah, respected by many for his denunciations of the Taliban and his espousal of tolerance, that a gathering on the scale he is planning would give militants the opportunity to carry out a major terrorist act. Pakistanis have not forgotten that it was at a large rally in Islamabad's twin city, Rawalpindi, that former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated by a suicide bomber in 2007.

But Qadri has refused to back down.

Already, police have begun bracing the city for the event. Freight containers and barbed wire are being positioned to block streets leading to the capital's "red zone", which embraces the parliament, President Asif Ali Zardari's residence, the Supreme Court and other major government buildings. Anyone trying to enter the capital will have to show identification. As many as 10,000 police and security personnel will be deployed to maintain order.

Qadri is demanding changes that would prevent corrupt politicians and tax cheats from seeking office. He also wants revisions to a law that requires a caretaker government to be put in place in the weeks before national elections - scheduled for spring - a long-standing measure aimed at ensuring unbiased management of the election and vote counting.

Qadri argues that the authority to appoint the caretaker administration should be widened to include non-political institutions such as the military. That has led to speculation that Pakistan's security establishment may be orchestrating and perhaps financing Qadri's plans.