LAHORE: Justice in the Model Town incident has been delayed because the “culprits” are wealthy, powerful and influential and find reasons to hinder it each time the party becomes hopeful to get it , says the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) supremo Dr Tahirul Qadri.

Addressing the federal council of the party, Mr Qadri, who had pinned great hopes on the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government because both the parties struggled together for what they called justice for Model Town incident victims, said this system protected the powerful, not the weak.

“The party’s chief and most of its workers now feel that the PTI after coming into power has not made any difference and the PAT stands where it stood during the PML-N tenure,” says an insider, seeking anonimity.

During the federal council proceedings, most of the members suggested that the party should renew pressure on the PTI as it was not actively pursuing the “justice agenda” of the PAT. The meeting has been postponed because Mr Qadri had to leave for Saudi Arabia tonight (Saturday night) for a few days.

He says the PAT will turn the pressure on once he returns from KSA and meanwhile no additional measures are taken. “The political twins, as Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri were referred to, for the last five years, seem to be drifting away and the PAT’s resolve of not protesting during the PTI tenure is coming under pressure as most of the workers get jittery,”he says.

The council also adopted two resolutions; one praising the role of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, for her post-Christchurch incident role and the other paying tributes to party chief Tahirul Qadri for his struggle for Model Town justice.

Meanwhile, Mr Qadri left for Saudi Arabia where he has been especially invited to address Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) moot on strategy to counter terrorism and increasing Islamophobia.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2019