An international spiritual gathering was held under the banner of Minhaj-ul-Quran International to mark the occasion of the 27th of Ramadan. Pir Sayyid Mahmood Mohi-ud-Din Al-Qadri Al-Gilani, the son of Qudwa-tul-Aulia, was the guest of honour, whereas chief highlight of the spiritual gathering was the keynote address of Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri. He also led a tearful prayer at the conclusion of the programme. The hundreds of thousands of people from across the country in addition to thousands of residents of Itikaf City attended the mega event. The proceedings of the international spiritual gathering were broadcast live through private TV networks and Minhaj.TV. The people from around the world indirectly participated in the programme through Minhaj.tv. Gatherings were also held at over 200 places in India, which were connected to the main event via Minhaj.TV.

The family members of martyrs of Model Town tragedy were presented 'Nishan e Imam e Hussain (RA)' on the occasion. Pir Sayyid Mahmood Mohi-ud-Din Al-Qadri Al-Gilani gave away these medals. Paying homage to the martyrs, Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri said that the martyrs have laid down the foundation of revolution by rendering their lives for lofty ideals. He said that coffers of killers that are full of ill-gotten wealth cannot buy conscience of their families. He said that he was proud of the heirs of the martyrs who disdainfully rejected the offers of millions of rupees made by the killers to buy their conscience. He said that they are poor but honourable people. He said that no one could dare talk about a deal over the blood of martyrs with such a movement as MQI. He said accursed are those who make baseless allegation of a deal. He said that we are those honorable people who have sold themselves to the name of Allah Almighty and now no ‘Qarun’ of the world can buy us. He said that God willing, the day will come when the killers will be swept away by the mass uprising, so much so that even their trace will be obliterated. He said that the oppressive rulers should fear the day when they will account for the blood of every poor and the oppressed person.

Addressing the international spiritual gathering, Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri said that the biggest message of revolution in the human history was conveyed in the form of revelation of the Holy Quran whose every word is a source of deliverance, guidance and direction till the Day of Judgment. He said that Pakistan is also a gift of the sacred night of 27th of Ramadan. He said that all of us should reiterate our pledge on this blessed night that we would leave no stone unturned to make Pakistan a welfare state and fortress of Islam in the real terms by purging it of terrorism and political and religious extremism. He said that we should pledge to make it a hub of knowledge and peace by eliminating terrorists, extremists and enemies of Allah Almighty and His Prophet (SAW). He said that we should invest our energies into making this country such a model Islamic state where all of its citizens enjoy equality of rights and opportunities, social and economic justice without any discrimination.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri asked the Muslims to give up their habit of ingratitude and urged them to learn how to thank Allah Almighty for countless blessings He has endowed on us. He said that we should take care of the poor and underprivileged sections of society. We should do justice and be excellent in our conduct towards the weak. He said that arrogance is very dangerous disease and we should make conscious efforts to get rid of this disease. He said that the universal teachings of the Holy Quran offer a way forward out of our present predicaments, adding that we should follow its teachings in our lives. He said that the best recipe to please Allah Almighty is to enlighten our hearts with the love of the Holy Prophet (SAW).

Dr Qadri said that Pakistan came into being on the night of 27th of Ramadan, adding that independence is the mother of all blessings and we should protect it at every cost. He said that all such misdeeds, actions and negative attitude, which violate and hurt the spirit of independence, should be renounced. He said that we should love Pakistan for another reason because it was attained amid chorus of ‘There is no God but Allah’. He said that we should pray to Allah Almighty on this sacred night that He helps us to get rid of mischief of terrorism and extremism and help all those engaged in the struggle of eradicating terrorism. He prayed may Allah help the armed forces, civil society, opinion makers and religious scholars, sections of society who are making their utmost endeavours to bring mischief of radicalism, terrorism and militancy to end either with arms, tongue or pen.

At the end of his speech, Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri led a tearful Dua in which he prayed for peace, safety and security of Pakistan and its people. He particularly prayed to Allah Almighty to rest the departed souls of martyrs of Model Town tragedy in eternal peace and bring their killers to justice.

The Itikaf City was decorated with electronic lights of different colour to match the festivity of the occasion. The families of martyrs, and the injured of Model Town tragedy and prisoners of revolution march attended the event zealously. The thousands of women also watched the address of Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri through large sized screens. Stringent arrangements were made by MQI and PAT for security of the participants of spiritual gathering.