Chairman Qadri ‘contained’!

• Punjab govt deploys large police contingents near PAT chief’s residence and Minhaj Secretariat, seals entire Model Town locality with barricades and containers
• PAT chief Tahirul Qadri claims over 150 workers arrested in raids across Punjab
• Claims Sharif family is planning to flee to US, threatens PM, Punjab CM to turn Aug 10 into Youm-e-Inqilab if govt disrupts his event on Sunday
• Baton-wielding Minhaj followers gather outside Qadri’s residence to resist any government action

LAHORE

RANA HAIDER

The Punjab government early on Thursday cordoned off the entire Model Town locality, which houses the residence of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri and his Minhajul Quran Secretariat, with barricades and containers while a massive crackdown was launched against PAT workers across Punjab in an apparent bid to thwart the fiery cleric’s much-touted ‘revolution’, a date for which is yet to be announced.

Large contingents of police were deployed in the Barkat Market and Akbar Chowk areas and all roads leading towards the Minhaj Secretariat at around 2.30am on Thursday, hours after the Lower Mall Police were told to seal the FIR [First Information Report} registered against Qadri on Wednesday evening. A citizen has charged Qadri with inciting violence by ordering his followers to attack the homes of law enforcement personnel if the Punjab government tried to thwart his “revolution”.

A large number of baton-wielding Minhaj followers, including several women and young girls, also gathered outside Qadri’s residence as soon as news broke out of the heavy police deployment.

Addressing a press conference at 3:30 in the morning, Qadri claimed that police had detained over 150 party workers while those coming to Minhaj Secretariat for participation in the August 10 Youm-e-Shuhada event were being stopped at police barricades.

Directing his followers to stand their ground and keep alert to the government’s moves, the cleric said, “The Punjab government is resorting to undemocratic actions against us. I’m warning Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif that if they try to disrupt our event and their government forces use violence against my party workers, the Youm-e-Shuhada would turn into Youm-e-Inqilab,” he said.

SHARIFS TO FLEE TO US:

On Thursday afternoon, Qadri again addressed the press gathered outside his residence during which he claimed that the Sharif family had planned to flee to the United States (US) to “escape accountability as their days are numbered”.

He also claimed that there was no need to place his name on the Exit Control List (ECL) as he was “not going anywhere”.

“I’m here to forge the rule of law, the rule of God and to eliminate corruption and rigging and for the accountability of looters. No matter the government is planning to put me on the ECL, I assure you that I’m not going anywhere,” he said.

Qadri claimed that the Sharif family was preparing to flee along with their “family servants”. Reading out numbers of the applications before journalists, Qadri claimed that the visa applications had been filed with the US embassy with official letterheads of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s son, Hamza Shahbaz, who is also a member of the National Assembly.

“They are ready to leave the country to flee accountability but people will not let them do this. I urge masses to come out from their homes for Sharifs’ accountably for each penny they have looted,” said the fiery preacher.

The PAT chief said that the crackdown on PAT workers demonstrated that the government had admitted its “psychological defeat” and was using the police for its “heinous designs”.

“Though I haven’t given a date for the Inqilab March, I urge all my followers to come out of their homes and force their way through the barricades to participate in the Aug 10 Youm-e-Shuhada,” he said.

PML-N DENIES QADRI’S CLAIM:

Meanwhile, commenting on Qadri’s allegations, Hamza Shahbaz’s spokesperson Imran Goraya said in statement that there was no truth in the cleric’s claims regarding the Sharif family’s plans to seek refuge in the US.

“Hamza Shahbaz’s mother is ill and is being flown to the US for treatment. The visa applications sent to the US embassy are of her personal attendants, therefore all allegations made by Qadri are ridiculous and figments of his imagination,” said Goraya.