PPP, PTI to be with me in sit-in: Qadri

LAHORE: Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri said Wednesday the PPP and the PTI had announced unconditional support to him, and both parties would be on his left and right [in sit-in], adding that the only thing they needed was creating the right situation.

In an interview with a private TV channel, he repeated the demand for immediate resignation of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Law Minister Rana Sanaullah.

Qadri said if Shahbaz didn’t surrender then “we will teach him how to surrender”. They would stop making noise if courts did not find him guilty and would not make racket like Nawaz Sharif, he added, The PAT chief said the Model Town incident required a Panama Papers-like JIT which should be headed by Justice Najfi. He said Rana Sana would understand Justice Baqir Najfi’s report because he was the planner of the June 17 Model Town killings, adding that the provincial minister would be hanged after the case proceedings were completed.

Replying to a question, Qadri said if they failed to resign then the next phase would be to remove the Punjab government and both PPP and PTI were in favour of that, adding that his party stood for saving the state.

About the timing and issue for launching street protest, he said it was too early to say and discussions were under way to decide the matter.

When asked whether he still considers Asif Ali Zardari and other party leaders corrupt, Qadri said PAT, PPP and PTI had united on a single-point agenda and he would not say anything that could damage that programme.

Replying to a question about the joint demand for early elections of both PTI and PPP, the PAT head said he was in favour of accountability and introduction of reforms before polls, adding that elections could not provide good democracy and people, if the current system remained unchanged.