Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri can be in Pakistan on 24-hour notice if need be: PAT

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri will be in Pakistan on 24-hour notice if such a need arises. There will be reaction to every action. The court should order the police not to conduct raids and arrest political workers. Raids on the houses of workers of PAT, PTI and Awami Muslim League are condemnable, illegal and undemocratic. Raids should be conducted on the residences of those who killed innocent people and parked their looted wealth in the Panama-based offshore companies.

These views were expressed by PAT Secretary General Khurram Nawaz Gandapur and PTI senior leader Ch. Muhammad Sarwar while addressing a joint press conference here at the central secretariat yesterday. The leaders of both parties strongly condemned the terrorist incident in Quetta and agreed to continue the process of engagement with each other in future as well.

PTI delegation that consisted of Ch. Muhammad Sarwar, Mian Mahmood-ur-Rasheed, and Ijaz Chaudhry visited the central secretariat of PAT and held a meeting with the PAT leadership. Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, Basharat Jaspal, Fayyaz Warraich, Noorullah Siddiqui, Sajid Bhatti, Raja Zahid, Jawad Hamid and Sohail Raza represented PAT in the meeting.

Khurram Nawaz Gandapur said that the leaderships of both parties held detailed discussion regarding protest on Nov 2 in Islamabad. He said that PAT would attend Sheikh Rasheed’s public meeting. He demanded that the Prime Minister should present himself for accountability in the light of the Panama leaks, further stating the report of the Model Town judicial commission should also be made public. He said that the PTI delegation has assured that releasing the Model Town Commission report is part of their demands.

Khurram Nawaz Gandapur condemned the raids on the workers of AML and placement of containers around Lal Haveeli in the strongest possible words. He said that it appears that the nervous rulers are bent on making the protest successful and result-oriented well before Nov 2 through their high-handed actions. He said that Core Committee would meet after the meeting with the PTI delegation and the report of the discussions will be presented to Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri for further directions.

Speaking in the press conference, Ch. Sarwar appealed to the Islamabad High Court to take notice of the illegal arrests and detention of the workers and stop IG from creating another Model Town tragedy. He said that there are blood stains on the black uniforms of police already and they should not create more difficulties for themselves by accepting illegal orders of the rulers. He said that the rulers will run away and those doing their unlawful bidding will be facing court cases and inquiries for long time to come.

The PTI leader said that he spent his whole life struggling for rule of law. He said that the PTI workers neither took law in their hands in the past nor will they do so now. He said that his party’s demand is fair, which is that the rulers should present themselves for meaningful accountability, adding that six months have gone by and the process of accountability has yet to get underway. He said that Ishaq Dar admitted that $200 billion are stashed in the Swiss accounts but the government has not done anything to bring the money back home.

Ch. Sarwar said that the PAT has to decide regarding the arrival of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri, stating that we are thankful to the party and its leadership for extending support to PTI in its struggle against corruption.