Toppling govt is ‘too small’ an agenda, claims Qadri

Published June 27, 2014
Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri. – File Photo
Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri. – File Photo

LAHORE: Dispelling impression of attempting to topple the elected government, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri on Friday said it was ‘too small’ an agenda to follow and his objective was to change the system, DawnNews reported.

Speaking to media representatives here, he said that his party was not interested in forming any grand alliance, refuting reports circling in the local media about a political alliance between the PAT and Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) with Shiekh Rasheed and Chaudhries of PML-Q alongside them.


Also read: FIA likely to investigate assets of Qadri


Qadri said he never talked about forming the alliance because in such an alliance parties agree and disagree on achieving goals that the alliance was formed on the basis of.

On Thursday, however, he hosted a meeting of all the like-minded parties at his residence in Model Town, which was attended among others by chief of the Awami Muslim League (AML), Sheikh Rasheed, leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q) Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervez Elahi.

During the meeting, consultations and discussions were reportedly held over the next plan of action to be taken regarding the formation of an anti-government grand alliance.

Speaking on the killings of his party’s supporters in the Model Town tragedy, he said that the “martyrs’ blood will not go in vain.”

Dr Qadri returned to the country from Canada on Monday soon after the tragic incident in Lahore in which 12 workers of PAT were killed in a clash with the Punjab police. At this, the cleric vowed to take revenge for the blood of his workers by toppling the government, through what he called a ‘revolution’.

Previously on May 30, the PAT chief and the PML-Q leaders had agreed to join hands to launch a struggle for “devolution of power” after a meeting held in London.

Opinion

Editorial

Under siege
Updated 03 May, 2024

Under siege

Whether through direct censorship, withholding advertising, harassment or violence, the press in Pakistan navigates a hazardous terrain.
Meddlesome ways
03 May, 2024

Meddlesome ways

AFTER this week’s proceedings in the so-called ‘meddling case’, it appears that the majority of judges...
Mass transit mess
03 May, 2024

Mass transit mess

THAT Karachi — one of the world’s largest megacities — does not have a mass transit system worth the name is ...
Punishing evaders
02 May, 2024

Punishing evaders

THE FBR’s decision to block mobile phone connections of more than half a million individuals who did not file...
Engaging Riyadh
Updated 02 May, 2024

Engaging Riyadh

It must be stressed that to pull in maximum foreign investment, a climate of domestic political stability is crucial.
Freedom to question
02 May, 2024

Freedom to question

WITH frequently suspended freedoms, increasing violence and few to speak out for the oppressed, it is unlikely that...