LAHORE: PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri gave a deadline of December 31 to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Law Minister Rana Sanaullah to resign and surrender before the law, failing which he threatened to announce the future line of action against the government.
“This time my strike against the ‘killer government’ will not go fruitless. I am now fully prepared to win the battle against them, and I will not tolerate any more delay in justice,” he said on Tuesday while talking to the media and addressing a meeting of civil society and traders representatives in the Model Town.
Qadri’s move was instantly supported by the PTI and some other opposition parties; giving credibility to the notion that opposition was increasing pressure on the government to wind up the political set-up before the upcoming Senate elections where the ruling PML-N is likely to achieve unassailable two thirds majority in the upper house. Earlier, a number of opposition leaders called on Qadri and assured him of support in his possible anti-government movement. These leaders included former chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan Syed Mehdi Shah, JUP president Qari Zawwar Bahadur, president Halqa Saifia Pakistan Pir Ahmad Yar Saifi, JUP-Niazi president Pir Masoom Hussain Naqvi and PML-Q senior leader Ajmal Wazir. These leaders extended complete support for seeking justice for the victims of Model Town killings, terming it unpardonable crime against humanity by the PML-N government.
Addressing a meeting, Qadri said Shahbaz Sharif and Rana Sanaullah couldn’t escape without paying back for those who were murdered in Model Town. He argued how Shahbaz could absolve himself of killings on the pretext that he ordered withdrawal of police force, adding that inquiry commission held him directly responsible, while the bureaucrats who were supposed to carry out his orders were still working on their posts without any punitive action. “Should it be considered that law minister, IG, home secretary and IG operations etc dared disobey his orders of withdrawal and still went scot free,” he asked.
He asked why all those officials accused of playing their roles in the massacre were still enjoying luxury perks and privileges and were kept under complete protection from the arm of law. He alleged that in fact entire massacre was carried out on the orders of Shahbaz.
