Tahir-ul-Qadri convenes All Parties Conference on Dec 28

LAHORE: Pakistan Awami Tehreek chairman Tahir-ul-Qadri announced to convene an All-Parties Conference on December 28 where the next course of action will be unveiled after consultation with other political parties.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday alongside Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, the cleric announced that the APC will be attended by political and religious parties from across the country.

The PAT chief said that the Bajir Najifi report released to probe the Model Town incident proves that police officers concealed the facts, and revealed that the incident was orchestrated under patronage of the Punjab government.

He said that official police record shows that police contingents were deployed from over forty-five police stations, and that 809 shooters and snipers were brought to Model Town, which implies that a large operation was being planned.

“There is no authority to order such a large-scale operation, except for Shahbaz Sharif, who can call police officers and motivate them to take part.

“Therefore, Rana Sanaullah and Shabaz Sharif, who were planning and presiding over the operation, along with their bureaucrats and officers, should step down and surrender to the law by Dec 31.”

In order to devise the further course of action, he announced that an All-Parties Conference will be held on Thursday December 28, 2017.

Sheikh Rashid expresses support

Expressing full support for the APC, Sheikh Rashid said he stands with Qadri on his quest to seek justice for the victims of the Model Town incident, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan has also assured to support them.

He said the Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif were playing a “dual game” and while one was claiming to be in conflict with the institutions, another was pretending to support them. He said that Sharif family was employing delaying tactics in the corruption cases.

He also accused Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi of playing “both sides of the field”, and alleged that he has amassed more funds than Ishaq Dar. He alleged that Nawaz Sharif, in order to garner support for his party, has distributed billions of rupees through retired Captain Safdar, Sheikh Aftab and another senator on the pretext of development.

When asked over the prospect of Shahbaz Sharif becoming the next prime minister, Qadri said that both brothers were ‘two face of same body’ will not affect the reign of corruption and dynastic politics, and the nation will suffer.

He said that the real case against Shahbaz Sharif is the Model Town incident and it is unfathomable to think that someone other than the Punjab chief minister could be behind such a large scale operation.