Daily Times

LAHORE: In order to seek justice for the martyrs of Model Town incident, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Chief Dr Tahirul Qadri has confirmed his arrival in the provincial metropolitan on June 15 for holding a scheduled protest rally and sit-in at The Mall on June 17.

PAT would organise the protest sit-in on the second anniversary of Model Town tragedy in which several workers, including female devotees of the party, were killed by the police on directions of the authorities. The party vows to struggle until justice is fully served in this regard.

According to sources, as per the initial schedule, the party’s protest rally would start just one hour before Iftar at 6pm on June 17 and would continue till Sehri time (in the wee hours of next morning) on June 18.

PAT spokesman Noorullah, while talking to Daily Times, confirmed that they had planned to offer Iftar and Sehri (evening and morning meal) to more than 60,000 devotees who are likely to participate in the protest.

On Wednesday, Dr Tahirul Qadri addressed a press conference at the party secretariat in Model Town via video link and expressed hope that Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif would play his role in providing justice to the martyrs of Model Town tragedy, as he already helped them register the FIR against the will of the government.

Qadri said although holding a peaceful protest was their constitutional right but the government was creating hurdles by issuing different orders to restrict the rally at the Mall. On the occasion, he also gave a guarantee of holding the protest rally in a peaceful manner.

He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government always showed double standards with PAT and other opposition parties. He predicted that the sitting government would not complete its five years parliamentary tenure and appreciated Pak Army and its officers for holding a successful operation, Zarb-e-Azb, against terrorists.

On Panama leaks issue, Qadri urged the opposition that it should separate itself from the ‘TORs Committee’ as the PML-N government is making a fool out of the nation, especially by constituting some “Parliamentary Committee” to probe it.

He urged the political authorities that such jokes with the nation from the sitting government must be stopped. He also termed the quick recovery of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in London after an open-heart surgery as a miracle.

Sources in PAT told this scribe that the duration of the protest sit-in could be extended if the party leadership and participants agree on it. The sources also informed that Dr Tahirul Qadri would announce the future strategy for providing justice to the Model Town martyrs.