Islamabad (CNN) -- "Terrorism and violence cannot be permissible in Islam," Tahir ul Qadri told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in 2010 after declaring a Fatwa on terrorism. The bold pronouncement thrust Qadri into headlines worldwide and led to an invitation to speak at the prestigious World Economic Forum and United States Institute for Peace. Two years on, the religious cleric has resurfaced in Pakistan, demanding free and fair elections, after spending the last six years living in Canada. Qadri has come a long way since his time as a parliamentarian during General Pervez Musharraf's regime in the early 2000s. After promoting his agenda from abroad -- speaking out in videos and books -- he is now back in the political spotlight in his home country, calling for a caretaker administration to take the government's place and carry out election reforms ahead of an upcoming vote.
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Religious cleric Tahir ul Qadri to lead mass march to Islamabad
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He returned to Pakistan from self-imposed exile in Canada
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Critics are skeptical as to Qadri's intentions; he says he wants change
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He's spent millions on prime time advertising calling on support for the march
Malik said he would not allow the rally to enter downtown Islamabad as it posed a security risk and would disrupt business operations in the city; he said the Pakistani government had cordoned off sensitive areas of @placeholder.