KARACHI: Chief of the Awami Muslim League Shaikh Rashid Ahmed on Sunday claimed that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could evade every other ‘crime’, but could not save his skin from the Panama Leaks scandal and the killing of people at the ‘behest’ of the Punjab government in Lahore’s Model Town.

“Nawaz Sharif and his associates’ days are numbered. They cannot save themselves from the innocent blood they spilled in Model Town,” said Shaikh Rashid while speaking at the Qisas rally taken out from the Quaid-i-Azam’s mausoleum to Tibet Centre in the city on Sunday.

The rally was organised by the Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) against the Model Town incident that occurred two years ago.

He said time had come when the rulers would have to be accountable for the atrocities they committed against innocent people and embezzled public money. He said he wanted all the opposition parties to gather on one platform.

“Even if PTI leader Imran Khan and Dr Tahirul Qadri join their hands, they could remove the rulers in no time. These two leaders will have to be united,” he said.

“This is foundation of our struggle to get rid of the present government. The next month will be hugely important for the fate of our nation.”

PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri addressed the rally through video link.

He claimed that the government was in the hands of the “agents of the enemy of the country” and “unfortunately, terrorism in Pakistan has been named as democracy”.

“Real democracy is the system which gives justice to the people.”

He said he would announce his next strategy on Sept 3 when his party would take out a rally in Rawalpindi for the integrity of Pakistan.

Speaking about the recent controversial speeches by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s self-exiled leader in London, Dr Qadri claimed that the abusive language against the country was not a slip of tongue by the MQM chief but “he did it as per demand from Islamabad”.

“Karachi will not accept the one who throws abuses over Pakistan.”

He claimed the first lead about the alleged Indian agent, Kulbhushan Yadav, was found from the factories owned by the ruling family.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2016