Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) Chief Dr Tahirul Qadri on Friday announced to stage a sit-in on August 16, on Mall Road in the provincial metropolis. This sit-in will be staged only by women, especially the heirs of those who lost their lives in a crackdown on Qadri's Minhaj-ul-Quran institute in Model Town back in June 2014.
Addressing a press conference at his party's secretariat, Dr Qadri said the duration of this sit-in will be decided by the participating women and he would go there to express his solidarity with the participants. Nevertheless, he said the time of his participation in the sit-in would be announced later. Qadri had also held a sit-in in 2016 and staged a long march and sit-in in year 2013 demanding justice for the families of Model Town incident.
The PAT Chairman urged for constitution of a special impartial bench to look into the Model Town tragedy and also making Justice Ali Baqar Najfi's report public. He appealed the Chief Justice of Pakistan to ensure decision in this case soon after the Eid.
Qadri also criticized Gujrat incident wherein a child lost his life because of Nawaz Sharif's rally as, he said, none of the leaders came back to inquire about the incident or condole with the bereaved family. He said that various TV channels showed the footage of deceased and his family but no one from those who led the rally bothered to take notice of it.
He said his party was continuously pursuing the Model Town case. "We fought the legal war, presented 56 witnesses and did all we can to present our case in a strong manner," Qadri remarked in reply to another question by media persons. He said the sit-in of August 16 is not aimed at exerting pressure on any quarter rather it would be an appeal for seeking justice from the judiciary.