Disenchanted worker: Court moved against Qadri for unfulfilled promises

Woman says he never paid the amount promised for participating in PAT’s sit-in.

LAHORE:

An additional district and sessions judge on Wednesday sought comments from Faisal Town station house officer on a petition filed by a woman seeking a case against Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri for not paying her the money she said she was promised for joining his Inqilab March to Islamabad in August.

Petitioner Hajan Momina filed the petition against PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri, his son Hassan Mohiyuddin, daughter Fatima and PAT president Raheel Abbasi. She said they had not kept their promise to pay them Rs3,500 per day for staying at PAT sit-in in the capital. She told the court she had joined Minhajul Quran in 2007 and had been an active member of PAT.

She said PAT chief’s son Hassan and daughter Fatima had requested her on August 7 to gather women from her area to observe a martyrs’ day after 14 people were killed in Model Town. She said Shaista, Farzana, Saima, Syeda Bibi, Amna and Shahbana Bibi and several others had participated in the efforts besides her.

She said later, Mohiyuddin and Fatima met them at PAT’s secretariat in Model Town and asked them to participate in the sit-in in Islamabad, promising to pay them Rs3,500 each for every day they were there.Momina said her friends had not wanted to go. She said Shaista was suffering from cancer and other women had family commitments.

She said PAT’s leadership promised them that the march would end soon and pressed them into joining the march. She said that she had informed Qadri about their problems and he had assured her that PAT would pay Rs3,500 per day to each woman. She said the PAT chief had asked for their identity cards for surety. She said they had lived in Islamabad for more than 70 days. Momina told the court that PAT workers regularly checked women’s attendance at the sit-in.

She said when Qadri ended the sit-in 70 days later, they were left to their own devices.

She said when they approached him to pay what was promised, he told them tha they would be paid in Lahore.

She said PAT also had not returned their ID cards.

She said when they went to PAT’s secretariat to collect the dues, office bearers misbehaved with them and refused to pay them money and return their ID cards.

She alleged that some of the women were beaten and kicked out from the building.

She said she and other women had approached the Faisal Town station house officer to register an FIR against PAT leaders but the SHO had not entertained them. She asked the court to direct the SHO to an register FIR against PAT chief and others for not paying them Rs3,500 and holding their identity cards.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th, 2014.