Imran Khan to meet PAT chief Qadri today in Model Town

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan is scheduled to meet Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri at PAT head office in Model Town today (Tuesday).

Imran Khan was invited by the PAT chief for a meeting held for the purpose of continuing consultations with leaders of different political parties for his campaign against Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanuallah.

After the findings of the Model Town inquiry report, filed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, were made public, Dr Qadri had launched a campaign to demand the resignations of both the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders.

Qadri had issued a warning to the two leaders to resign before the end of this year or else face a “massive protest campaign”. It merits mention here that PAT would also hold a multi-party conference on December 30 at its head office.

He said that the Punjab government tried to bury the Model Town report for three years and only made it public when the Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered it to do so on December 5. The Model Town incident claimed the lives of 14 PAT workers during clashes with police on June 17, 2014. Qadri alleged that deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab chief minister and law minister were responsible for the incident.

So far, Dr Qadri had managed to lure Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari to PAT headquarters in Model Town. During the visit, Zardari was also accompanied by the central leadership of PPP. Imran Khan’s visit would be the second high-profile political meeting, though Khan had already announced support for PAT in its future campaigns.

Earlier in the month, Qadri also met Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid, Pak Sarzameen Party chief Mustafa Kamal and Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen head Allama Raja Nasir Abbas. All leaders pledged their support to Qadri in his campaign.

According to reports, the PAT chief had also been in telephonic contact with Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq and Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam-Sami (JUI-S) head Maulana Samiul Haq. He invited the two leaders for the PAT multi-party conference on December 30.

According to PAT Secretary General Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, Dr Qadri’s loyalty cannot be bought and the PAT movement against the Nawaz Sharif family would end their political careers.