Deadline ends, Qadri to launch anti-govt movement from 17th

LAHORE: The alliance of opposition parties headed by Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri has announced launching of a countrywide agitation movement against the PML-N government from the 17th of this month after the deadline given to the government ended.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting of APC steering committee at the PAT Secretariat on Monday, Qadri said the resignations of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Home Minister Rana Sanaullah would not be demanded but taken forcibly.

He said the movement would take one step ahead and target every government of PML-N, adding their campaign would not stop till the overthrow of other PML-N governments and wiping out the ruling party from the country.

He said a high-powered action committee had been constituted to chalk out the modus operandi of the agitation movement. The committee – comprising Sheikh Rasheed, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Abdul Aleem Khan, Senator Kamil Ali Agha, Liaqat Baloch, Nasir Shirazi and Khurram Nawaz Gandapur – would meet on January 11 to begin its task.

He said formal invitations had been sent to all central leaders of allied parties – including former president Asif Zardari, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Imran Khan, Mustafa Kamal and Raja Nasir Abbas Jafri – to join the proceedings of January 17 agitation movement.

Before the meeting of the steering committee, Jahangir Tareen, Sheikh Rasheed, Manzoor Wattoo and others held one-to-one meetings with Qadri at his residence. Addressing the media, Qadri accused the government of harbouring the culprits who carried out the conspiracy to change the oath of Khatam-e-Nubawwat for legislators and said the agitation movement would not rest until exposing them. He said the nation would hold the Sharif brothers and their cronies accountable for every penny of the plundered public wealth over the last four decades.

The meeting of steering committee was attended by Sheikh Rasheed, Latif Khosa, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Manzoor Wattoo, Jahangir Tareen, Shafqat Mehmood, Aleem Khan, Liaqat Baloch, Kamil Ali Agha, Ch Zaheeruddin, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Jamshed Dasti, Nasir Shirazi, Waseem Aftab, Afaq Jamal, Hussain Mohiuddin, Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, Fayyaz Warraich and others.