LAHORE: Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri says the Sharif brothers are afraid of transparent investigation into the Model Town tragedy because they are directly responsible for the killing of PAT workers.

He was talking to the media after he landed in London from the US, said a press release issued here on Monday.

Qadri said he did not accept ‘fake’ joint investigation team appointed by the government involved in the Model Town incident as he wanted a probe team sans representatives of the Punjab government.

He asked why the government was avoiding a judicial inquiry by a higher court judge. Responding to a query about his travel abroad, Mr Qadri said as he was heading an international organisation (Minhajul Quran), he would have to visit various countries to look after the mission.

About the question of ‘raising of finger by the umpire’, he said the query should be asked from Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan. He, however, prayed for the success of the activity the PTI was going to organise in Islamabad on Nov 30.

He said both the PAT and PTI had made political decisions independently.

To the question about seeking help of the army chief, he said: “If Nawaz Sharif can seek the help of the army chief and ask him to play the role of a facilitator then why I cannot ask him for help in getting justice?”

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2014