Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Allama Tahirul Qadri. PHOTO: AFP
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has asked Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to oversee security arrangements for Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri when the latter returns to the country on June 23.
Following his return from a two-day trip to Tajikistan, the prime minister was briefed by the Punjab chief minister on Tuesday’s deadly clash between police and PAT workers in Lahore at a high-level meeting in Islamabad on Thursday.
Realising that his government has opened up too many fronts, Prime Minister Nawaz also directed members of his cabinet and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) activists to cool their tempers and avoid unnecessary statements before the media.
“I think you will see some change in the tone of ministers from today (Friday) onwards,” a PML-N leader told The Express Tribune.
“There was a general realisation that unnecessary statements after the tragedy [in Lahore] did not do the government any good and created an unnecessary fuss,” an official privy to the meeting said.
Apart from the chief minister, the meeting was attended by the ministers of defence, information, planning and development, railways and states and frontier regions.
According to the official handout released after the meeting, Shahbaz informed Premier Nawaz that severe action was being taken against those found responsible for the Lahore tragedy.
However, it stopped short of elaborating what concrete action the government would take against those who orchestrated the raid. Some PML-N insiders claim that the Lahore operation was the brainchild of a key minister of the Punjab government.
Sources said that before the Lahore incident, the government was working on a plan to take Qadri into custody as soon as he landed at Islamabad airport. The incident jeopardised the plan, they added.
Shahbaz urges PAT to withdraw boycott
Shahbaz Sharif has asked Dr Qadri to withdrawn his decision to boycott the judicial commission constituted to probe the clash between police and PAT workers in Lahore.
“The judicial process is the only way to ensure justice. Boycotting it will be a grave injustice to the deceased and their families,” Shahbaz said. He said the commission had already started its inquiry and would bring facts before the nation soon.
The chief minister added he was determined to fulfill ‘the demands of justice’ and the guilty would not be allowed to escape. He promised the course of justice would not be hampered and tampering with medical records of the injured would not be tolerated.
“Police authorities and provincial administration have been given instructions in this regard,” he said.
Qadri’s Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran, however, rejected Shahbaz’s appeal and instead filed an application with the police, naming him and Prime Minister Nawaz among those responsible for the Model Town tragedy.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 20th, 2014.
COMMENTS (12)
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1731666526-0/Express-Tribune-(9)1731666526-0-270x192.webp "watch salat al istisqa offered across the country on prime minister s appeal")
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A green revolution by Dr. Tahir ul Qadri will help to achieve a change in the destiny of the poor people of Pakistan and, further, will enable a change in the destiny of humankind. A revolution which is coming whether we will it or not. We can affect its character; we cannot alter its inevitability. “An army of the people is invincible!” One leader cannot make a revolution but by throwing a stone in the water which make waves and those waves can turn in to Tsunami.
After this incident I remind you PPP Govt(Which I am not fan of), When Zulfiqar Mirza was Furious on MQM and doing every possible thing to demolish them, he went too far when he was supporting Aman Committee. Even though PPP was very good by supporting his Ministers and Party workers, they called resignation of Zulfiqar Mirza because of the event.
Every body know Rana Sana (Law Minister) is a thug and changing his stories about the incident from day one, Why don't CM sahab take action and fire any of his Minister to not be aware of this stupidity, becaues if CM was not aware, then Law minister should have awareness of the incident because he controls the Police of Punjab.
I can see a very bad manners of sincerity and honesty of CM sahab, sorry to say SIR, I was fan of you because of your development in punjab, but I don't want this development(Gold Cage) if you cannot do justice for your awam. May Allah give you direction (Ameen)
The only sane way to cool peope temper is to remove Ran Sanaullah under whose watch Police dept is working....RS is responsible....suspend him & see this issue cool down to a tolerable level for dialogue to start...RS should resign....demanding for CM / PM to resign is absurd....
Shahbaz Sharif cuts a sorry figure.......and that's about all the joy that the people can get because for him to do the honorable thing or the justice system to do what they should do.......is wishful thinking.
@Timorlane: You are right. PML N Government wants to save democracy by killing people who do not subscribe to their point of view.
To ensure justice, this man Shahbaz Shareef, who is prime suspect in perpetrating what he calls "grave injustice" to the innocent victims murdered for no rhyme or any reason by the tyranny of Shahbaz & Nawaz's dictatorial regime. Pakistan is not their personal property and we are not the serfs that they like to believe in their hallucinations. Not just Shahbaz but they both must either resign or be thrown out from seat of power. They got something they can't handle.
It is none of Prime Minister business!! The Chief Minister must resign and show that he is capable of taking political responsibility and does not need mouth feeding from his brother!
Rex Minor
@Atif Kiani:
Police itself is a functioning body and you cannot directly blame the ruling party for the chaos. Its well known that Mr Qadri asked for "do or die" that very morning. To provoke and create choas is a form of terrorism. Maybe Imran Khan and Qadri should be on trail in courts for asking army overrule mandate. I'm stunned at the humble approach that current government is absorbing all the choas.
Yes, the police department is to blame that it didn't used rubber bullets, but another speculation does say that bullets might had been fired from inside too. It well known, that there has been bitter times in chaos in Punjab and police has handled it in a better way. I can easily rub the name of PTI sponsoring the kill stage, but I would not because neither I was at the scene nor I have solid evidence showing Imran-Khan firing head-shots. And if you have the evidence of head-shots, then do go to courts as a responsible citizen of Pakistan.
The PMLN should realise that the more they try to cover up, the messier it will get and will only make it worse. Recent excuses by Honorable CM; being unaware of the events unfolding (people halfway around the world knew what was happening); police not carrying out his orders to disengage etc. are mind boggling. Does it mean that the CM Punjab has no control or authority over the departments?!
“The judicial process is the only way to ensure justice. Boycotting it will be a grave injustice to the deceased and their families,” Shahbaz said. You are CM of Punjab, responsible for safety and security of all the citizen. Wondering, why you did not pay any visit to PAT office yet on the other hand your Minister's are justifying the police action. According to the judicial process spirit, you are responsible for this target killings of innocent citizen and you will also have to answer the so called Judicial Commission. You must step down first so there would not be any conflict of interest in the case. Do you not understand this simple thing.
Thank you Express Tribune for giving a rather netural picture of the even. After reading the comments in some articles I am in shock that despite all the proof people are still backing PML-N. See the situation neutrally please leave PTI or PAT for a moment and think about the fact that this government sponsored attack on unarmed protestors has killed innocent men and women. To respect the deceased souls do not support PML-N at this stage even you voted for them. If the PML-N is allowed to get away with it’s barbaric activities this time they will not hesitate to use violence as a political tool again and more lives might be lost if we remain quiet this time.
May Allah bless the innocent people killed as a result of the PML-N led state brutality…Ameen
Unless there is persecution of police and government there will be no justice at all.
and we ordinary subjects want to finally oversee the funeral of this gullu butt zardari "democracy" for good now