Qadri says he will make important announcement on June 17

Says rulers’ time is over; asks COAS to provide
him justice; vows to keep sit-in peaceful

LAHORE: Chairman Pakistan Awami Tehreek Dr Tahirul Qadri has said that the time of rulers is over and he would make an important announcement on the 17th.

Qadri arrived on Wednesday from London to lead a sit-in on the Mall Road on Friday. Talking to the media at the Lahore airport where he was received by a large number of dancing, singing and slogan chanting workers, Qadri said he foresaw a premature end of the rule of Sharif brothers.

Qadri said he would make an important announcement at the sit-in on June 17, and said the movement against the rulers would not end until justice was provided to the families of victims of Model Town killings.

He reiterated that the Sharif brothers and their cronies were masterminds of the Model Town tragedy in which 14 innocent PAT workers were massacred and 100 of them were left injured. He alleged that the killing was a one-sided affair and unprovoked firing was started by the Punjab government forces on unarmed PAT workers. He said, “Even though we had the services of private security guards but even then not a single shot was fired from our side.” He said if they had given their workers and security guards permission to retaliate, then the fate and result on that day would have been different and a similar number of police and government officials would also have been killed and injured.

He said if justice was not provided to innocent victims, parliament should legislate to give unquestionable powers to the state for killing and torturing anyone without any reason. He said PAT had no love lost with the Punjab Police, adding police were only following illegal orders of the rulers. Qadri said the Punjab CM had announced that he would resign if the judicial commission pointed a finger at him. But he shamelessly refused to step down after the judicial commission held him responsible for the whole incident. The FIR was only registered after the army chief intervened and now it was their request that the army chief himself provide them justice and the case be tried in a military court. Tahirul Qadri said if this does not happen, then on the Day of Judgment, the army chief will be answerable to Almighty Allah.

He said the sit-in of June 17 would be peaceful. “For two years we have run from pillar to post in search of justice, but all our efforts failed as the rulers have been and are influencing the officials at every step and inch of the process.” He said irony was that false and fabricated cases had been filed against 42 eyewitnesses of the incident. These 42 PAT workers were all injured by the police firing and now they face state-sponsored cases.

He said his relations with Imran are just as they were in the past. He said all the political parties that were approached have confirmed their participation in the protest sit-in and demonstration.

PAT leaders Hassan Mohiyuddin Qadri, Khjurram Nawaz Gandapur and Kh Aamer Fareed Goraja were also present to receive him. Flower petals were showered on the PAT chief, pigeons were set free and people danced to the tune of drums. Farrah Naz headed the women’s reception team. Ulema and Mashaikh and PAT youth wing office-bearers and workers were also present.

Later, Awami Muslim League President Sheikh Rasheed called on Qadri at his residence. Talking to the media, both Sh Rasheed and Qadri said Prime Minister Nawaz Sahrif had been running the country through a remote control and busy in taking care of his personal businesses and other profitable affairs. Sh Rasheed said Pakistan, beset with a number of internal and external problems, needed a full-time prime minister rather than an exiled prime minister.