LAHORE: Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri on Saturday demanded the Supreme Court to order the Punjab government to make Model Town tragedy inquiry report public, like the JIT’s, also seeking arrest of those involved in killing 14 innocent people.

In his telephonic speech, Qadri told a public rally on The Mall that the killing of innocent people was a more heinous crime than the financial corruption. He said neither the Sharifs nor any of the 124 policemen allegedly involved in the incident had been called for investigation.

Lauding the JIT members for writing, what he called, the most fair and balanced investigation report, he said if the Supreme Court decision followed the same course, the menace of corruption would be rooted out of the country.

“The JIT has done its job and now the Supreme Court decision is awaited,” he said.

He said if Nawaz Sharif got disqualified and any of his “crony” replaced him, it would be “continuation of the corrupt system”.

Dr Qadri said a long march was organised in January 2013 for electoral reforms and implementation of Article 62 and 63 in letter and spirit. He said the current situation would not have emerged, if PAT’s demands were met in 2013. He said hundreds of PAT workers were kept in illegal detention and hundreds of others were still facing fake cases under the Anti-terrorism Act (ATA).

For the past three years, he said, the PAT was continuously demanding publication of Justice Baqir Najfi Commission report on the Model Town tragedy.

Acknowledging the participation of other parties in the rally, including PTI, JI, PPP, PML-Q, PSP and Sunni Ittehad Council, Dr Qadri said corruption could not be eliminated by just changing faces.

PTI leaders Chaudhry Sarwar, Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed, PPP’s Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, JI’s Liaquat Baloch and others also spoke.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2017