Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri on Thursday rejected the FIR registered by the police in the Model Town murders, saying the government had not included Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) in the legal document.
Earlier in the evening, an FIR was registered against 21 persons, including the prime minister and Punjab chief minister, on the the orders of the government. Sections 419, 148, 234, 302 and 109 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, pertaining to murder, attempted murder and terrorism, have been included in the FIR.
Qadri is yet to announce his future course of action, saying the people’s jirga will take two important decisions after the Maghrib prayers.
Addressing his supporters in what Qadri had said on Wednesday would be his “final speech”, the PAT chief termed supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and his party as first cousins. He also said that he and PTI Chairman Imran Khan were brothers.
Qadri said today was the day of good riddance from all problems faced by the nation. “Today is the day to get freedom from economic and social exploitation,” he added.
“More 100 million poor of this country are slave of this corrupt and unjust system,” said the PAT chief.
Reading quotes of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah from the Constitution book, he said, “The cheque of Pakistan has been dishonoured as we are bankrupted.”
“Our rulers have money when it comes to corruption, buying journalists and anchorpersons and living a lavish life style … but, there is no money to resolve issue concerning poor masses of the country,” he added.
The anti-government cleric said that he and his supporters were there in the federal capital to fight for the rights of people and to fulfill the promise of the Constitution.
“We are here for upholding human rights values and to cash the cheque of Quaid-i-Azam.”
We have been involved at least seven to eight times in talks with the government to show our seriousness in resolving the issue amicably, he said.