Qadri to launch Tehreek-e-Qisas to counter Nawaz

LAHORE: The trend of opposition parties’ joining PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri’s bandwagon continued on Wednesday as he predicted the end of the government before March 2018, saying “I don’t see the rulers entering the month of March”.

Talking to the media after meeting the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference President Sardar Atiq Ahmad who visited the PAT Secretariat to support the PAT movement against the government, Qadri challenged Nawaz Sharif to announce the date for launching his “movement for justice”. He said he would start his Tehreek-e-Qisas (blood for blood movement) against the Sharifs for the Model Town killings on the same date. He said he was seeing the government not lasting till March. He said his consultations with opposition leaders for launching the anti-government movement were going on, but the deadline of December 31 for Shahbaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah and the top bureaucracy to step down was final.

He said MQM-Pakistan Chief Dr Farooq Sattar would visit him on Thursday (today) with a large party delegation to announce his support for the anti-government movement. He said he also had telephonic consultations with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan, PPP Co-chairperson Asif Zardari and Awami Muslim League President Sheikh Rasheed. He said his consultations with opposition leaders were not for political purposes but for the sake of humanity.

He said: “Nawaz Sharif has become a new metaphor for bloodshed and cruelty. He will only launch his movement in media since he has lost the courage to come out on streets. After committing the Model Town massacre, Nawaz and Shahbaz should be ashamed of talking about justice.” He said the Sharif brothers and top officials of their government would soon be in jails. Nawaz had been in power for the last 30 years but failed to establish the justice system in the country. Qadri asked his followers to get prepared, saying that he chose the winter for sit-in to save them from summer. To a question, he said the army chief had given a clear message during his visit to the Senate that the institution of armed forces was also answerable and it was a positive reply to criticism of intervention in the affairs of other state institutions.

Sardar Atiq expressed solidarity with Qadri, assuring support to his demand for resignations. He said his party would stand by the PAT anywhere anytime. He termed the Model Town killings the worst form of state terrorism and said Pakistan could no longer afford an unbridled democracy. He said calling the present system democratic would amount to insulting democracy.