Protest Movement: PAT protesters to get free hand, says PML-N official

PAT, its allies to hold rally, sit-in on The Mall today

LAHORE: The provincial government will give a free hand to the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and its allies to proceed with their rally and sit-in on The Mall, a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) office bearer said on Friday.

“We didn’t stop any protests in the past and we will not stop them now,” he said. He said police contingents would be deployed along the route of the rally to ensure security.

The PML-N official said party workers had been asked not to confront the PAT or any other party’s workers during the rally and sit-in.

The PAT has announced to hold a Qisas and Accountability Movement rally on Saturday (today). The rally will start from Model Town. PAT spokesperson Noorullah Siddiqi told The Express Tribune that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) had assured the party that their leaders would join the rally. He said a PAT delegation would attend the PTI’s protest on August 7 (Sunday).

In a telephonic address to party workers, PAT chief Tahirul Qadri said the party would not tolerate further delay in dispensation of justice for those who lost their lives in Model Town killings in 2014.

He said PAT workers had not been afforded a fair trial. He said the government had also not formed an impartial investigation team to probe the matter. The report prepared by Justice Baqar Najfi Commission had not been released for public review, he added.

He said the PAT had been left with no option but to take to the streets. He said the party would not end its protest till justice was served in the matter.

The PAT chief said the first phase of the Qisas and Accountability Movement would begin with rallies in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Faisalabad and Gujranwala districts on Saturday.

He said the movement was in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Quran and the provisions of the Constitution.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2016.