LAHORE: Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri arrived in Lahore on Wednesday morning to lead a sit-out on The Mall on Friday (tomorrow) for seeking justice for the 14 party activists killed in a police raid two years ago.

A large number of PAT activists gathered at the airport giving Mr Qadri a warm welcome. Many danced to the beat of drums and several others showered petals on him before he led a procession to his Model Town residence.

He told reporters and supporters that he would lead a sit-out in front of the Punjab Assembly on June 17 to demand justice for those who lost their loved ones in the Model Town tragedy.

He said he would make a special announcement on June 17.

Saying the Model Town FIR was registered only on the intervention of the army chief, he called upon the chief of army staff to now put his foot down and provide justice by trying the rulers in a military court.

He predicted the fall of the incumbent rulers and said the fear of death has already overtaken their minds.

The PAT chief alleged the Sharif brothers and their cronies were responsible for the Model Town tragedy.

He said the Punjab police were playing in the hands of the rulers and fulfilling all their orders without questioning whether these were right or wrong.

Dr Qadri recalled that in the evening of June 17, 2014, the chief minister had announced if the judicial commission pointed a finger at him he would resign and present himself for accountability. The chief minister was there though the commission had reportedly held him responsible for the whole incident, he said.

He said the Punjab government had formed two joint investigative teams and one judicial commission for investigating the incident, while one review committee was also formed, but they were not provided any copy of the report of these bodies despite approaching the Lahore High Court for the purpose.

He said he was not a cricketer and had no knowledge of the finger of an umpire. He said his relations with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Imran Khan were just as they were in the past.

He said the political parties approached for the sit-out had confirmed their participation in the event.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2016