Daily Times

Former Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) parliamentarian Syed Ali Raza Abidi revealed on Tuesday that Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) founder Dr Tahirul Qadri had called the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM-L) secretariat during the 2014 sit-in and asked for the party’s help in blocking the metropolis.

According to Abidi, Dr Qadri made phone calls to London and sought the party’s help when he was encircled and restrained from travelling to Islamabad from his residence in Lahore. “MQM requested the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to allow him to leave,” said Abidi. “We also arranged to send provisions including food and water for PAT for the trip,” he added. Abidi said that the PAT leader kept on insisting that they join the sit-in.

PAT leader Khurram Nawaz Gandapur also revealed the ‘London plan’ behind the 2014 sit-in while speaking during a recent television program. The politician said that Imran Khan, Pervez Ilahi and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had called on PAT founder Tahirul Qadri in London and a decision was made to launch an organised campaign in order to topple the government of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

However, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan denied holding such a meeting. He maintained that he was not hatching any conspiracy that would compel him to hold a meeting in London.

Published in Daily Times, September 3^rd 2018.