RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri and Awami Muslim League (AML) president Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Sunday announced their decisions to work together against the ruling PML-N over the Panama paper leaks and corruption.

“We will involve other opposition parties in this movement and the strategy or line of action to contact the opposition parties will be devised at a PAT executive committee meeting on July 31 in Lahore,” said Dr Qadri after meeting Sheikh Rashid at Lal Haveli here on Sunday afternoon. The PAT chief and general secretary Khurram Nawaz Gandapur reached Lal Haveli along with a rally from the Motorway Chowk.

Sheikh Rashid assured Dr Qadri of his cooperation to expose the corrupt elements in the country and to launch a movement against the PML-N. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Qadri said PAT would not compromise on the Model Town killing case despite efforts being made by the ruling party to close the case.

“The Punjab government offered Rs30 million each to the heirs of those killed by police on June 17, 2014. But the relatives turned down the offer,” he added.

“Some influential persons from PML-N also met me and requested me to forgive the killings but I refused to do so. I am not the direct heir of the people who were killed as their relatives wanted revenge as per the law.”

He said PAT would raise the issue till justice was provided to the heirs. Dr Qadri lashed out at the PML-N, especially the Sharif family, and said: “The Sharif family is the engineer, architect and developer of corruption in the country. Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif introduced new ways of corruption and are looting the public money.”

He said the PML-N leaders introduced the culture of dolling out funds to members of the national and provincial assemblies to get their favour. He said Rs300,000 to Rs600,000 were given to minority members and Rs600,000 to Rs1.2 million to general members.

He said the PML-N leaders also got medical treatment from abroad at public expense. “They spent 48 days in London and the expenditures of their stay, travel and medical treatment have been borne by the national exchequer.”

He said Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif visited abroad on public money but in papers they did not mention their names.

Dr Qadri alleged that the Punjab government was recruiting terrorists in the police and sending them to India for training. “The Punjab government is sending police officials to India for training, and this was exposed in the budget documents.”

He said PAT would launch a movement against the rulers and their corruption in coordination with other opposition parties.

He praised Sheikh Rashid for raising a voice against corruption and corrupt elements in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, the AML president said Panama paper leaks exposed the corrupt rulers and time had come to get rid of the gang of five.

“The state funeral was given to the iconic social worker Abdul Sattar Edhi due to the Pakistan army. The government did not give due respect to Edhi in his lifetime.”

Sheikh Rashid said 11 freedom fighters were martyred in Kashmir but the government and the Foreign Office remained silent on the issue. He said the government also failed to raise the issue of Kashmir at the international level.

“Imran Khan and opposition parties should understand the need of the hour and start an agitation against the corrupt rulers,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2016