Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri has demanded Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif to intervene into the Model Town killings case again by holding the trial in a military court to provide justice to innocent martyrs.

While talking to media persons at the airport after his arrival from London on Wednesday, Qadri said that all the political parties, which were approached by him, have confirmed their participation in the scheduled sit-in at The Mall on Friday where he is expected to make some ‘special’ announcements.

Qadri said that the Model Town tragedy was the worst example of state terrorism, adding that justice has not been done to the victims despite a lapse of two years. “It was an act of tyranny as 14 persons were killed in broad daylight.”

To a question, the PAT chief clarified that he was not a cricketer and has no knowledge about rising of the finger of any umpire, but his relations with Imran Khan are just as they were in the past. He declared that there was no change in his stance over the Model Town tragedy and they would continue their struggle for getting justice until barbaric and corrupt rulers are sent behind bars.

He said that the Sharif brothers and their cronies were responsible for the Model Town tragedy, adding that if justice was not provided to the innocent martyrs and if criminals were not given punishments, then the parliament should frame a new law under which powers should be given to the state for killing and torturing any person without reasoning.

He said that on June 17, 2014, the Punjab chief minister announced that if the judicial commission pointed a finger at him during investigation of the case, then he would resign and present himself for judgment, but astonishingly, he did not resign despite the JC holding him (CM) responsible for the entire incident.

“The FIR was only registered until the COAS intervened and now it is our request to the COAS again to put his foot down and provide us justice by trying the case in a military court. If this does not happen, then on the judgment day, the Army Chief alone will be answerable for backing away,” Qadri added.

He said that the Punjab government formed two joint investigative teams and one judicial commission for investigating the incident, while one review committee was also formed, but we have not been provided any final report of any of these bodies even though we approached the Lahore High Court to get a copy of these reports.

A huge number of PAT workers and leaders including Dr Hassan Mohiyuddin Qadri, Khjurram Nawaz Gandapur, Khawaja Aamer Fareed Goraja and Noorullah Siddique warmly welcomed their leader at the Allama Iqbal International Airport. On the occasion, flower petals were showered on the PAT chief, while pigeons were also set free.

A bulletproof vehicle was stationed at the airport to bring him to PAT office at his Model Town residence. Stringent security arrangement had been put in place in and outside the airport.