The All-Party Conference (APC) called by Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri went underway on Sunday to discuss Lahore’s Model Town incident, where a violent clash had broken out between police and PAT supporters earlier this month.
Delegations from Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) and Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (JUP) Niazi group, arrived at the Minhajul Quran Secretariat. PML-Q leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed also spoke to mediapersons on the their arrival at the Minhajul Quran secretariat. Chaudhry Pervez Elahi said that the Model Town incident will be the agenda of today’s APC.
Talking to media, PAT Chief Tahirul Qadri said, “Pakistan Awami Tehreek’s agenda is to overthrow the government.” Qadri also said that APC was not intended to discuss any political move but the Model Town episode with other political parties. Speaking on the occasion, Ahmed Raza Kasuri from All Pakistan Muslim League said that the government was setting a wrong example of governance. Kasuri claimed that the prime minister’s speech in favor operation was scripted by the General Head Quarters.
“Nawaz Sharif was never in the favor of operation,” Kasuri said. However, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP) and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) have already refused to be a part of Qadri’s APC. JUI-S chief Maulana Samiul Haq said, Tahirul Qadri should go to court for Model Town incident instead of calling an APC. On the other hand, Pakistan Peoples Party had condemned the Model Town tragedy but denied to be a part of any movement to topple a democratically elected government.
