Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Chairman Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri has appealed to the Supreme Court of Pakistan to hand over the Model Town massacre case to the joint investigation team (JIT) which was constituted in the Panama case. Qadri made this demand while addressing a rally at Lahore's Nasir Bagh here on Tuesday.
He said the PAT's petition is pending with the Lahore High Court over Justice Ali Baqir Najfi's Commission report and the same should be made public. He said ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif has become a symbol of falsehood and dishonesty in the country. Qadri said: "The apex court could have ordered to handcuff Nawaz Sharif, however, the five-member bench dubbed him as a liar, corrupt and dishonest through a unanimous decision." The PAT chief said Shahbaz Sharif will have to be held accountable for the killings of 14 innocent people in Model Town. "He and his accomplices will be hanged as Qisas for Model Town victims."
Earlier, talking to media after landing at Allama Iqbal International Airport, he said the Panama Papers verdict against Nawaz Sharif is 'revenge' for the Model Town massacre. He claimed to ensure justice to the relatives of Model Town martyrs at any cost. He underscored the need for imposing Articles 62 and 63 of the constitution for elimination of corruption in the country. The PAT chief also asked Sharif to disclose against whom he would be marching through GT Road on Wednesday. "Reveal the name, if you have the courage," he said.
While addressing the rally, Awami Muslim League (AML) Chief Sheikh Rashid alleged that Nawaz Sharif's GT Road procession was an attempt to seek a 'National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO)' from the army. The NRO was a controversial ordinance promulgated by former president Pervez Musharraf which granted amnesty to corrupt politicians and bureaucrats between 1986 and 1999.
This rally is believed to be an attempt by the PML-N to garner much-needed political mileage in the face of challenges the government is facing, Rashid added. Sheikh Rasheed alleged that Shahid Kahkhan Abbasi was involved in an LNG scandal. "If I could not prove this allegation, I will quit politics forever." PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi also addressed the rally.