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LAHORE: A female life member of Dr Tahirul Qadri’s Tehreek-i-Minhajul Quran has approached the sessions court for registration of a criminal case against the heads of the organisation, allegedly for not paying her the promised amount for participating in ‘Inqilab March’ and sit-in at Islamabad.
Hajan Momina of Kot Lakhpat has arraigned Dr Qadri, his son Hassan Mahyudin, daughter Fatima and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) president Raheeq Abbasi as respondents in her petition.
She alleged the respondents did not keep their promise of paying her and a batch of six other women Rs3,500 per day for joining the protest.
Also read: Herald Exclusive | Tahirul Qadri: The odd man out
She implored that she was a life member of PAT since 2007. She said that PAT chief’s son Hassan and daughter Fatima requested her on Aug 7, 2014, to gather women of her area to observe ‘Martyrs Day’ after the Model Town incident, in which 14 people were killed and more than 100 injured.
She said she gathered six women -- Shaista, Farzana, Saima, Syeda Bibi, Amna and Shahbana Bibi and participated in the event on Aug 10, 2014.
She alleged that on completion of the ‘Martyrs’ Day’ programme, Mr Hasan Mohyudin and Ms Fatima stopped the women in PAT secretariat in Model Town and asked me to participate in the ‘Inqilab’ on Islamabad.
She submitted that she refused to participate in the March because Shaista was suffering from cancer, Syeda had paralysis while the other women could not afford the cost of participating in the political show.
Ms Momina said that after her refusal to participate in the march, Mr Hasan arranged her meeting with Dr Qadri at his Model Town residence.
She said that she informed Dr Qadri about their problems and he assured her that PAT would pay Rs3,500 per day to each woman and the sick ones would also be provided medical treatment.
She said on Dr Qadri’s assurance, Mr Hasan also made a commitment with her to pay the sum and took the identity cards of the women into his custody, housing them in in PAT’s Model Town secretariat.
She said on Aug 14 all the women participated in ‘Inqlab March’, walked with procession and stayed at Islamabad sit-in venue.
Ms Momina said they faced hardships on Dr Qadri’s call but the PAT chief called off the sit-in after 70 days without consulting them and ordered them to reach Lahore. They were told that compensation and medical facilities would be provided to them there.
She said on reaching Lahore, when they demanded the financial compensation and their ID cards, PAT officials not only refused to pay them the promised sum but also their CNICs.
She prayed to the court to direct the SHO concerned to register an FIR against the PAT chief and others for not paying Rs3,500 as compensation for joining ‘Inqilab March’ to each of the women, posing threats of dire consequences, misbehaving, and even badly thrashing them.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Masood Husain issued a notice and sought comments from the station house officer of Faisal Town police to appear before the court on the next hearing on Jan 3.
Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2014
