اردو
  • Model Town report: Zardari, Tahirul Qadri demand Shehbaz Sharif’s resignation

    Asif Ali Zardari and Tahir-ul-Qadri File photo Asif Ali Zardari and Tahir-ul-Qadri

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri have demanded Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif to step down in the wake of the Model Town inquiry report.

    “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 told reporters at a press conference along side Qadri in Lahore on Thursday evening.

    The joint press conference came after the former president met the PAT chief during his first-ever visit to the Minhajul Quran Secretariat here.

    The two sides held a meeting, wherein Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, Manzoor Watto and Qamar Zaman Kaira were also in presence.
    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 Justice Baqir Najfi commission will know who was responsible for the Model Town tragedy.
    "We will take steps, with in the ambit of the law and the constitution, to bring those responsible for Model Town incident to justice," Qadri announced.

    Taking his turn, Asif Ali Zardari said, “We came here today to express our solidarity with Allama sahib. Now we will not tolerate Shehbaz; we will fight and take to the streets with him (Qadri).”

    He said the democracy is not the way Nawaz and Shehbaz are running it, clarifying, “We are only talking about fighting against them (Sharif brothers).”

    The PPP co-chairman said only political forces can handle the financial burden placed on Pakistan by Sharif brothers.

    “We stand with Qadri on his principled stance,” he reaffirmed. “We have no qualms about joining political forces with him (Qadri).”

    He further said that every prospect, every position could be looked into for pressuring the government to bow down to their demands.

    “If Qadri asks, I will be with him [in his container],” he added.
    "Rana Sanaullah should step down and surrender himself to law," he demanded.