Seeking justice: PAT to stage another sit-in in Lahore on 16th

Tahirul Qadri requests apex court to make Justice Najafi’s report on Model Town incident public

LAHORE: Dr Tahirul Qadri has announced another sit-in to be staged in Lahore on August 16 to seek justice for families of the 14 workers of his Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) who were killed in the 2014 Model Town clashes  during a police crackdown at his residence in Lahore’s Model Town neighbourhood.

“I request the Chief Justice of Pakistan [Mian Saqib Nisar] to constitute an impartial bench right after Eid-ul-Azha to provide justice to families of the 14 victims of Model Town massacre,” the populist cleric demanded while addressing a press conference on Friday.

 



“I also urge the apex court to provide speedy justice to the victims’ heirs and make public the report complied on the incident by Justice [Baqar Ali] Najafi,” he added.

Dr Qadri said his party was continuously pursuing the Model Town case.

“We are fighting a legal war and have presented 56 witnesses in the court. We have made every effort to present our case in a strong manner,” he said in reply to a query.

Talking about the next sit-in, the PAT chief said it would be staged purely by women, who would later decide its duration. “I will also participate in it to express solidarity with those whose family members lost their lives. However, time of my participation will be announced later on,” he added.



He also criticised the ruling PML-N leadership for not even bothering to return and express condolences with the family of the child who was run over by a police vehicle that was part of the deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s homegoing rally.

“A child lost his life because of Nawaz Sharif’s rally but none of the leaders came back to enquire about the incident or express condolences with the family of the departed soul,” he said.

“The entire electronic media is showing footage of the deceased and his family, but no one leading the rally bothered to take notice of it,” he added.

Answering a question, Dr Qadri said this time he might prolong his stay in Pakistan for an indefinite period.