PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari has threatened the government to take the street with Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri
In a joint press conference with PAT Chief in Lahore, Asif Ali Zardari demanded Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s resignation in the wake of the Model Town inquiry report.
“Shehbaz Sharif will have to resign,” said Zardari. “We will take to the streets with Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri.
“Enough is enough! Nawaz Sharif’s brother Shehbaz must resign. After this report, he stands condemned, and a condemned man cannot remain the chief minister of the largest province of Pakistan,” Zardari added
The joint press conference came after the former president met the PAT chief during his first-ever visit to the Minhajul Quran Secretariat.
The two sides held a meeting, wherein Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, Manzoor Watto and Qamar Zaman Kaira were also present.
Speaking at the press conference, Qadri said the Model Town inquiry report clearly indicated Shehbaz Sharif as a “murderer.”
“The barriers [around Minhajul Quran Secretariat] were lawful and no one had objected to them for three years. The force which was sent used unlawful means. They were there to drop bodies and not remove barriers,” he said of the incident which took place on June 17, 2014.
The incident had claimed lives of at least 14 people and left over 100 others injured during an ‘anti-encroachment operation’ by Punjab Police outside Idara Minhajul Quran in Lahore’s Model Town.
The PAT chief alleged the entire operation had been conducted under the supervision of Rana Sanaullah.
“People, who say the report is not conclusive, are lying,” he said, adding that anyone who reads the report prepared by the Justice Baqir Najfi commission will know who was responsible for the Model Town tragedy.
“Rana Sanaullah should step down and surrender himself to law,” he demanded.