Shireen Mazari likens TuQ to Gulen, PAT's Raheeq Abbasi responds

KARACHI: It seems that formal cordial relations between Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) have simply turned sour as a slight Twitter brawl ensued between PTI’s Shireen Mazari and latter’s Raheeq Abbasi on Eid day.

PTI’s Shireen Mazari on Tuesday compared Tahirul Qadri to Turkish in-exile leader Fethullah Gulen, she tweeted “can’t escape this sense that TuQ is Pakistan’s Gulen in so many ways.”

Can't escape this sense that TUQ is Pakistan's Gulen in so many ways!

— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) September 13, 2016

PAT leader Raheeq Abbasi was quick to react when he replied to her tweet saying “PTI can never progress or succeed as long as people like you are in this party. My sincere sympathies with IK and other.”

@ShireenMazari1 PTI can never progress or succeed as long as people like you are in this party. My sincere sympathies with IK & others

— Raheeq Abbasi (@RaheeqAbbasi) September 13, 2016

During the September 2014 dharnas, there were some similarities in vision of the two parties’ anti-govt campaigns. The relations turned lukewarm when PAT chief, Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri announced that his party will not take part in the ‘Raiwind March’ stating that this was an internal decision. Qadri expressed his suspicions that violence could take place during the march and would wrongly get attributed to his workers. Tahir-ul-Qadri further said the PAT was against protesting outside the house of even its worst opponent.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan had earlier announced a protest march to Raiwind on Sept 24, however, later on saying that after consultations with the Opposition parties the date and venue could be reconsidered.

Imran Khan then cleared the air on Sept 9, saying that the party is 100 percent certain about a protest march to Raiwind.