LAHORE: A tense calm prevailed at Minhajul Quran offices in Model Town on Wednesday as representatives of various parties and other people arrived there to express grief and demonstrate solidarity with leaders of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) whose several activists had been killed on Tuesday in clashes with police over removal of barriers from around the place.

Initial post-mortem reports confirmed that the deaths had been caused by bullet wounds.

There were reports that another two activists of the party succumbed to bullet injuries they had suffered during the police raid.

Meanwhile, police registered a case against PAT activists, including Husain Mohyyuddin, son of PAT’s chief Tahirul Qadri, but did not take them into custody. Of the 53 arrested on Tuesday, 38 were presented before a court which released 11 women and two elderly people, ordered medical examination of nine and remanded 16 in judicial custody.

Case registered against Qadri’s son

Protest rallies against the incident were held in various towns of Punjab but no demonstration was held in Lahore.

The opposition in the Punjab Assembly walked out of the session in protest against the incident, boycotting the budget debate.

The Punjab cabinet held a special meeting to discuss the incident and decided to send a delegation comprising five ministers to the Minhaj offices for sympathising with the PAT leaders but the latter reportedly refused to receive it and said: “We cannot welcome representatives of the killers.”

Addressing a press conference from Canada through video link, Dr Qadri again rejected the judicial commission formed on the request of the Punjab government.

“No-one from our side will appear before the commission set up to cover up the tragedy. I also request the Lahore High Court judges not to become part of the commission as tens of millions of rupees are being offered to people for testifying against us,” he alleged.

He also rejected the compensation the chief minister had announced for the heirs of the deceased.

“Those responsible for the ‘mass killings’ have got a case registered against us as well as formed a commission to give us justice!”

Dr Qadri alleged that attempts were being made to tamper with the hospital record to prove that the casualties had been caused by firing by PAT activists and not police.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan also visited the Minhaj offices. Talking to reporters, he demanded immediate resignation of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and arrest of Law Minister Rana Sanaullah for what he said killing innocent people.

He said that police had violated a high court decision about the barriers that had been erected by a police officer some years ago.

Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2014