Lahore (December 07, 2017): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Hamza Shehbaz called Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri an ‘enemy of democracy’.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, he said that “people will hold the enemy of democracy, Tahirul Qadri, accountable,” adding that people remember the language used by Qadri in his 2014 Islamabad sit-in.
The PML-N leader, who is the son of Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, said that Qadri is a Canadian citizen and owns properties there, adding that the Punjab government has made public the Model Town judicial inquiry report.
Earlier Opposition leader Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah Confirmed that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari will hold a meeting with Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri today in Lahore.
The party delegation is meeting with the PAT chief on the latter’s invitation to Zardari, Shah said in a media talk in Islamabad.
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The opposition leader said there is nothing new about the meeting and the two parties have been in contact previously too.
“We stood against [former military dictator] Musharraf together in 2002,” he said.
He, however, added that PPP has always stayed away from street politics and politics of anarchy.
Sources added that PPP leaders Qamar Zaman Kaira, Dr Qayyum Soomro and Shah will also attend the meeting.
PPP Co Charmian Asif Ali Zardari contacted the PAT chief and discussed the Justice Baqir Najfi commission on the 2014 Model Town incident, sources said. The two also agreed to bring those responsible for the incident to justice.
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The Punjab government, at the behest of the Lahore High Court, made the report for the Model Town incident public on December 5. The report was drafted by Justice Baqir Najfi and termed the 2014 tragedy in Lahore’s Model Town as the “most unfortunate incident” in the country’s history.
Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah dismissed the report as defective during a press conference held on Tuesday.
Qadri, however, in a press conference on Wednesday termed the provincial government claims that the report does not blame any government official as false propaganda.
“We stand for democracy in the country and won’t let anyone do politics on dead bodies,” he said. “People who were martyred were our people. I have deep regret for their martyrdom.”
Pakistan Awami League chief Dr Tahir ul Qadri, while addressing a press conference, on Wednesday termed provincial government claims that the report does not blame any government official as false propaganda.
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The PAT chief said that for the past 26 hours, government officials including Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, have been saying that the report did not hold any official responsible for the Model Town tragedy, “this is false propaganda”.
Qadri added that he did not try to access the real report before the court issued orders, but as the latter has been done, the real report needs to be accessed and compared with the one which was released.
“My message to the workers is that they should stay ready.”
Erlier before appearing in ATC, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said that he will join Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) whenever it comes out on roads to raise protest regarding Model Town incident.
PTI chief appeared before the anti-terrorism court (ATC) regarding the four cases that have been filed against him. He maintained while talking to media that Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shehbaz Sharif’s lie has been caught after the Model Town report.
Imran bashed Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah and said he gave orders to open fire at the people. Shehbaz Sharif and Rana Sanaullah should immediately resign, he demanded.
Imran said that unarmed and innocent people including two women were shot in cold blood in Model Town in 2014 for which Shehbaz Sharif and Rana Sanaullah should be arrested. I assure Tahir-ul-Qadri that we would be with him when ever he takes to the roads to launch protests, Imran added.
The Punjab government, at the behest of the Lahore High Court, made the report for the Model Town incident public on December 5. The report was drafted by Justice Baqir Najfi and termed the 2014 tragedy in Lahore’s Model Town as the “most unfortunate incident” in the country’s history.
At least 14 people were killed and 100 others injured in police action against PAT workers during an ‘anti-encroachment operation’ on June 17, 2014.
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