Killing of PAT workers was planned in Islamabad: Qadri

LAHORE: Pakistan Awami Tehrik chief Dr Tahirul Qadri reached Lahore from London Monday after a stay of over seven months in Canada where he had gone for medical check-up soon after he had suddenly wrapped up anti-government sit-in.
He was welcomed at airport by hundreds of workers of PAT and sister organizations including Minhajul Quran, Mustafavi Students Movement and others. The slogan chanting and flags waving workers included women and children who brought him to his residence at Model Town in a motorcade which was pelted with rose petals at several places. The workers kept raising slogans like ‘Go Nawaz Go’ and in favour of Dr Tahirul Qadri. His personal security guards encircled his vehicle from all sides within the motorcade which could reach Model Town from airport in four hours.
Later, addressing a press conference at his residence, Qadri alleged that the plan to kill PAT workers in the Model Town shootings was prepared in Islamabad and vowed not to rest until the killers were sent to the gallows, adding Nawaz and Shahbaz would not be allowed to go scot free.
He asked Pakistan Army and Rangers that 14 dead bodies of PAT workers were lying in wait for justice to be served. He said the masses had rejected the so-called Joint Investigation team’s report, saying his JIT was the public and media, who for over 12 hours saw direct transmission of the massacre of PAT workers at the hands of the Punjab Police in Model Town incident. He said he would join any JIT that was not under the ruling party’s influence.
He said there was no meeting scheduled with Imran but there was no harm in meeting him and that he had no differences with Chaudhry Brothers. Denying a reported deal with the PML-N government by which he prematurely ended his joint sit-in with Imran at Islamabad, Qadri said only those with no morality and selfish aims accepted such deals. He said his war was for the rights of the poor and could never think of entering into any deal. He said if anyone has any proof whatsoever about a deal, he should come forward and show it to the public. He said these moral-less rulers do not have the courage to face us.
Hassan Mohiyuddin Qadri, Dr Raheeq Ahmed Abbasi, Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, Aamir Fareed Koreja, Mushtaq Ahmed, Basharat Jaspal, Fayyaz Warraich and many other leaders were with Dr Tahirul Qadri at the press conference.
Qadri said over 1,500 people died in Karachi and the provincial government is shifting the blame on the federal government while the federal government holds the provincial government responsible. He said the deaths have occurred due to water and power shortage and under the circumstances, such incompetent rulers should have resigned, had this incident occurred anywhere else in the world, several people would have resigned by now. He said time has come for the masses to come out on the roads in search of their rights and, to get rid of these corrupt rulers and system, as that is the only way to cleanse the country and society.
Qadri said the parliament and the assemblies have failed to deliver and during the Islamabad sit-in the joint session continued for many days at a time and during these sessions we were dubbed as gypsies.
He said today this joint session has not been called to discuss the deaths of over 1500 Pakistanis in Karachi. He said whatever price tag these rulers place for our martyrs, they will never be able to buy our loyalties and we are sincere with our workers and can never put a price on the blood of our martyrs. He said, “We have the highest respect for our workers and are proud of them.”
He said had justice been served in the Model Town incident, other incidents of police shooting like Daska would never have occurred. He said he was astonished that the state institutions were silent as at present justice is not served but rather it is bought and whoever pays the right price he gets justice according to his wish.
He said depression prevails where people are deprived of basic rights like education, health, justice, employment and our country is perfect example where people are deprived of all their basic rights. He said this will bring such a reaction that the rulers will find it hard to hide their faces. And this reaction is just round the corner now, he concluded.