Model Town inquiry: Qadri rejects JIT, asks army chief to intervene

Says Gen Raheel had accepted demand of CM’s resignation

LAHORE:

Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri has asked Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif to form a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe into the Model Town killings of PAT workers on June 17.

Dr Qadri warned if justice is not served, the army might have to launch Operation Zarb-e-Azb across the country as people could take up arms to get revenge. “Army chief should also launch Zarb-e-Adal in Lahore and Islamabad or God forbid the country could descend into anarchy,” he said.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore through video-link from Canada on Friday, Dr Qadri said General Raheel had earlier acknowledged three demands of PAT as fair. “The demands were of FIR registration of 14 murders, formation of a JIT and resignation of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif till the completion of the investigation. The COAS had earlier been requested to play [the facilitator] role by PML-N which is why now I am requesting him to intervene as none of the commitments are being fulfilled by the government. We had clearly said we would accept a JIT from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and it will have members from ISI, MI, IB and Police. We reject the JIT formed by the government. Abdul Razzaq Cheema has personal relations with Sharifs and we don’t accept JIT under him,” he added.



The five-member JIT was notified by the Punjab government on Thursday about two and a half months after a sessions court ordered registration of a fresh FIR on a complaint of the PAT. “The courts which are supposed to serve justice are issuing our warrants and declaring us proclaimed offenders. If Shahbaz Sharif had to form a JIT, he should have headed it himself and included Hamza Shahbaz and other members of Sharif family in JIT and given himself a clean chit,” he remarked.

Qadri’s words come two days after an Anti-Terrorism Court issued arrest warrants for him and PTI chief Imran Khan for attacks on PTV headquarters and making an attempt on the life of senior police officer SSP Asmatullah Junejo

“My arrest warrants have been issued in the case of PTV attack. I haven’t even entered the street where PTV’s office is. The incidents which took place before our sit-in are even being blamed on us.” Talking about an attack targeting him 15 years back, he said: “Recently Lahore High Court asked for the report of the attack on me in 1999. The government told the court the file wasn’t available. There must be something fishy in that file due to which it is misplaced.”

He said the FIR of Model Town incident was also registered on the intervention of the army chief. “Our other two demands haven’t been accepted. We will not accept any JIT until Shahbaz Sharif resigns,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2014.