For the record: ‘PTI was aware of PAT’s decision to end sit-in’

Qadri hopes to return to Pakistan before November 23.

LAHORE:

Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri said on Saturday that the party had informed the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) about its decision to end the sit-in at Islamabad’s D-Chowk in September.

He was speaking to journalists at his residence. Qadri said PTI chairman Imran Khan had not agreed with the rationale behind the decision. He said a date in this regard had not been shared with the PTI but the party was aware of the PAT’s stance. Qadri rejected allegations of having made a secret deal with the government. He said reports suggesting that blood money would be accepted for those killed in the June 17 Model Town violence were baseless. Qadri said he was going abroad to reactivate the overseas wing of the party that had become dormant after the PAT decided in 2013 against contesting elections. He said the party would participate in all future elections.



Qadri said the party had decided to stage sit-ins and rallies across Pakistan as its sit-in in Islamabad had become an inconvenience for the people. He also said the PAT’s sit-in was different to the PTI’s as its activists had been at D-Chowk round-the-clock.

Qadri said travelling abroad was a routine with him. He said he had permanently relocated to Pakistan.  Qadri said he would try to bring about a revolution by staging sit-ins across the country. He said he would travel abroad frequently to address various conferences, seminars and dialogues.

Qadri said the PAT wanted Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to resign. He said a joint investigation (JIT) team should be constituted independently to probe the Model Town incident. He said the government had categorically rejected the first demand. Qadri said the party had demanded that the JIT include an ISI official, an MI official and a police official. He said the government had insisted on including a police official from Balochistan and an official from either the ISI or the MI. Qadri said there had been no agreement after the party rejected the government proposal.



He said the PAT had failed to realise its short-term goals but had succeeded in creating awareness regarding a flawed political system and was striving to bring about a revolution. He said the party would continue to push a caretaker set-up mandated to hold polls to be transformed into a government of national unity so that  polls were held after bringing about electoral reforms. Qadri said he was scheduled to address several rallies and sit-ins across Pakistan in December. He said it was incorrect to suggest that he was returning to Canada for good. He said he was providing the youth with the opportunity to bring about political change. Qadri said he wanted them to become part of the political process at every level.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26^th, 2014.