Political show in guise of ‘seeking justice’

Protesters say PPP wants to strengthen its position in Punjab

LAHORE: The rally held on Mall Road is a political show in the guise of seeking justice, said one of the participants Muhammad Ghazanfar.

He said that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) started supporting PAT's struggle to seek justice for the Model Town victims recently while the incident took place in 2014. "The PPP actually wants to strengthen its position in Punjab by using the slogan of justice. It’s all about the upcoming election."

Carrying the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) flag, Ghazanfar asked "Who directs Dr Tahirul Qadri to leave Pakistan? He should stay in the country until justice is done."

On Wednesday, most of the protesters gave mixed remarks over the procession and seemed divided over the objectives of the protest. The protesters belonged to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PM-Q) and other political parties.

Many participants said that they had gathered here to seek justice for the victims of the Model Town firing incident and for the families whose minor girls were abducted, raped and killed in Kasur over the last few years.

On the other hand, some were of the view that the protest was basically a political show based on two sessions. The protesters pointed out that in one session, former president Asif Ali Zardari would speak while in the other, PTI Chief Imran Khan would take the mic. However, they added the cause was the same.

On the other hand, some protesters did not even know why they had joined.

Talking to The Express Tribune Pakistan Awami Thereek (PAT) activist Shahid Ali said "We still welcome the PPP, despite that fact that it started supporting us quite late."

An activist of the PML-Q Chacha Ghafoor, a resident of Gujrat, said that he was told to reach the Mall Road to join the procession. When asked who had asked him to take part in the protest, he replied Pervez Elahi. "Actually, I don't know why I came here. I was asked to get here so I did."

A female activist of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Shabnam Raheel said that she participated in the protest to support people who were seeking justice for the victims of the Model Town and Kasur incidents. She said that the government had completely failed in dispensing justice to the families of the victims of both the incidents. "We will keep protesting until we get justice."

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2018.