Model Town report: Qadri calls APC to decide future course of action

LAHORE: Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Chief Tahirul Qadri said on Thursday that they have called an all parties conference on December 28, during which they would announce their future course of action.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed, Qadri said they are inviting all major political and religious parties, to hold consultations with them.

"The real case is that of the Model Town incident, all others would be opened on their time," he said.

Earlier this week, the PAT chief had called on Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Law Minister Rana Sanaullah to step down from their positions by December 31, in the light of the Model Town inquiry report.

The incident on June 17, 2014, 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.

On Wednesday, Qadri had also announced launching a movement, 'Tehreek-e-Qisas', in response to 'Tehreek-e-Adl' announced by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif, saying that he will announce his next course of action in case his demands are not met.

Qadri demands Shehbaz, Sanaullah’s resignations by Dec 31

The PAT leader says that in case his demands are not met he will announce his next course of action

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PAT chief also demanded Model Town accused surrender by December 31

"Nawaz Sharif wants to drive the country towards destruction," Rasheed told reporters. "I appeal to them to let the country move forward; shouting at the judiciary and other institutions will get you nothing."

Criticising Ishaq Dar, he said the finance minister should return to Pakistan if he is clean.

Model Town report

The Punjab government, at the behest of the Lahore High Court, had made the report of the Model Town incident public on December 5.

The inquiry report, prepared by Justice Baqir Najfi commission, says that police tried to cover up the facts regarding who gave orders to open fire on protesters.

Police tried to cover up who gave orders to shoot: Model Town inquiry report

Punjab govt issued commission report on Tuesday after orders by the Lahore High Court

It adds that no legal opinion was sought from the Punjab advocate general prior to the start of the operation.

The commission, in its report, also stated that on the ground, the standoff continued the whole night, resulting in minor injuries to police constables as well as PAT workers.

It was after 9am that the DIG Operation arrived at the site, who called the SPs of different divisions of Lahore, and as a result the policemen started increasing in response to the swelling up of the PAT activists, the report says.

The commission observed: "The level of cooperation in digging out the truth is that no police official from top to bottom, whether actively participated in the operation or not, did utter a single word about the person under whose command the police resorted to firing upon the PAT workers."

Further, in its conclusion, the commission said, "It is shocking to note that everyone has deliberately but unsuccessfully tried to cover each other from possibly adverse legal effects."