- PAT chief claims police has arrested hundreds of PAT and MWM workers during crackdown
- Urges people in flood-hit areas to shout slogans of ‘Go Nawaz Go’ whenever prime minister visits their areas
The Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) on Friday announced the cancellation of talks with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government following arrests of nine workers of Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) including Asad Ali Shah, who is part of the PAT negotiation committee.
“No talks will be held with the government till the release of Asad Ali Shah” a PAT spokesperson said. The PAT designated committee for talks comprises a combination of different religious and political parties.
MWM’s Central Political Secretary Nasir Shirazi had earlier said that his party was dissociating from the government-PAT dialogue following the arrest of nine party activists. “The government should release all MWM activists arrested,” Sherazi said, adding that no one from his party would go to any future rounds of talks between PAT and the government.
Earlier on Friday, MWM spokesman Hasnain Zaidi had said that police and Rangers had arrested at least nine MWM activists, including the party’s political secretary Asad Abbas.
QADRI ACCUSES GOVT OF HYPOCRISY:
Addressing his followers later in the day, PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri claimed that the police has arrested hundreds of his supporters during an overnight crackdown.
He also accused the police of robbing people’s valuables during the raids.
“On one hand the government is negotiating, while on the other hand it is arresting innocent people,” he said, adding that so far he had been able to prevent his revolution from getting bloody but if the government does not desist from its ‘illegal action’, then his workers could go out of control.
He urged the residents of the flood-affected areas to chant slogans of ‘Go Nawaz Go’, whenever Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visits their villages and cities.