LAHORE: Dr Tahirul Qadri says he is shocked to see that society and state institutions are tolerating corrupt, cruel and murderous rulers in the country.

He said this while talking to reporters at Lahore airport on his return from the UK on Wednesday morning.

Referring to the live coverage of the Model Town incident, the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chairman said the whole world saw police firing and killing PAT workers, but astonishingly not a single accused was arrested.

“This can happen only in Pakistan and that too under the rule of the Sharifs,” he said.

He warned the rulers of a protest more severe than the 2014 sit-ins if they tried to hush up the inquiry of the incident.

Reiterating his claim that the FIR into the Model Town incident was registered only after the army chief intervened, he requested the army chief to intervene and ensure that justice was served to the Model Town victims.

He said those who had taken loans and those who had got loans written off must be exposed and brought to courts.

He said at first one section of the Constitution was amended to accommodate some “favourites” in the Election Commission, and now all sections had been amended according to the “wishes” of “corrupt” rulers.

He said without fresh legislation, new laws and election reforms, free, fair and independent elections were impossible. If they are held under the prevailing laws, elections will once again be full of rigging and fraud, he added.

He said the future line of action would be announced after consulting opposition parties on Sunday (July 31) for which invitations had been accepted by all.

The PAT chairman was welcomed by thousands of workers and leaders at the airport. Those present included Khurram Gandapur, Basharat Jaspal, Noorullah Siddiqui, Sajid Bhatti, Jawad Hamid and others.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2016