Daily Times

LAHORE: The stage is set for one-day protest by opposition parties to get justice for the victims of the Model Town carnage as well as seven-year-old Zainab and chief architect of the event – Dr Tahirul Qadri of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) – has announced that Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Imran Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would share the container with him during the demonstration against PML-N government.

PTI spokesperson and a close aide of Imran Khan, Fawad Chaudhry, was, however, quick to clarify that the two political rivals will not be on the stage at the same time. He said that the protest demonstration had been divided into two sessions. Zardari will address the first session that would last from since 12 at noon to Maghrib prayer, while Imran Khan would join the second session which would commence after the Maghrib prayer, he explained.

Dr Tahirul Qadri told media after a consultative meeting on Tuesday that the protest rally will start at The Mall at noon and has been divided into two sessions. He said all opposition parties would participate in the demonstration. He said that they had taken a ‘big decision’ which would be announced during the protest rally.

Meanwhile, the district administration of Lahore on Tuesday rejected a request by PAT and other opposition parties for permission to stage a sit-in on The Mall. n Continued on Page A5

Separately, a full bench of the Lahore High Court issued notices to federal and Punjab governments, inspector general of Punjab police and deputy commissioner of Lahore on a petition against the planned protest by PAT and other political parties at The Mall. Bench comprising Justice Aminud Din Khan, Justice Shahid Jamil Khan and Justice Shahid Karim Khan ordered the respondents to ensure their presence before court on Wednesday (today) till 9:00 am. The petition was moved by traders’ leader Naeem Mir. Earlier, Advocate AK Dogar had filed another petition and Justice Shahid Karim while issuing notices had sent it to the chief justice to constitute a larger bench. On Tuesday, both the petitions came up for hearing before a full bench headed by Justice Farrukh Irfan Khan but he declined to hear the petitions. Later, the chief justice constituted another full bench. Petitioner’s counsel Asad Mansoor Buttt submitted that the political parties were going to stage protest at the Faisal Chowk in front of the Punjab Assembly building. He submitted that protest at The Mall was an open violation of law and equal to destroying the business of the local trader community besides other challenges for the local citizens. He said that the protest was illegal and unconstitutional as all the opposition parties had joined hands to come out against an elected government. He said that staging protest against an elected government was also violation of Article 124 of the constitution.

Published in Daily Times, January 17^th 2018.