ANP, PPP refuse to attend Qadri’s APC

ISLAMABAD: The Awami National Party (ANP) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have refused to attend the All Parties Conference (APC) summoned by Tahirul Qadri.

ANP leader Zahid Khan said Tahirul Qadri did not believe in the constitution or democracy.

PPP leader Farhatullah Babar announced the decision of his party not to attend the APC.

Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri has convened an APC on July 29 with aim to discuss implications and fallout of the Model Town tragedy and reaching a joint strategy for punishing those responsible for the bloodshed and providing justice to the oppressed.

Law will decide Qadri’s return, says Pervaiz

RAWALPINDI: Federal Minister for Information Senator Pervaiz Rashid on Tuesday said PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri had come to Pakistan of his own free will but he will not be able to leave Pakistan now on his own.
Talking to media persons after visiting the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital where scores of wounded cops are under treatment, the minister said: “Now Tahirul Qadri will return to Canada only after the law’s nod”. He was flanked by local PML-N leaders and legislators.

He said former military dictator General (retd) Pervez Musharraf had also come to Pakistan of his own free will but now he could not fly out as the law had not allowed him to do so.The minister was visibly perturbed over the violence unleashed by the supporters of Dr. Qadri on police personnel. He said the way the cops were subjected to aggression by what he called the ‘Ghundas’ of Tahirul Qadri had no parallel in history.

Senator Rashid claimed that the private parts of police officers and constables were targeted by the supporters of Tahirul Qadri on his (Qadri’s) direction.Praising the media for objectively showing the events on Monday, the minister said people could better decide who exactly had resorted to vandalism.

“Is this the revolution he is talking about and wants to bring to Pakistan,” he asked. “By creating a law and order situation, Tahirul Qadri wanted to divert the nation’s attention from the ongoing Zarb-e-Azb operation against terrorists in North Waziristan, but he would not succeed in achieving what he had planned for.”

Tahirul Qadri, he alleged, had been inciting his followers to violence for the last few weeks and what was witnessed on Monday was before everyone — cops received head injuries and their arms and legs were broken by his hooligans. The minister said around 100 cops were wounded in the violence.

The DHQ Hospital received a total of 35 injured policemen. The minister said PAT activists, on the directives of Dr. Tahirul Qadri, broke the arms and legs of policemen on duty. He further said the attackers would have to face the consequences in accordance with the law.

Referring to the activities of PAT activists in Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the minister said a new type of terrorism was being imported to Pakistan and “we will deal with it like we are dealing with terrorists in North Waziristan”.

He said the nation should receive the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) migrating from North Waziristan as guests. “Serving IDPs is our duty,” said the minister.The minister made it clear that the armed forces were producing 100 per cent results with regard to the elimination of terrorists and the entire nation stood behind them.About the reports of the plight of the Internally-Displaced Persons of North Waziristan Agency, Senator Rashid said the government would take good care of them.

No live TV coverage of Qadri’s arrival

ISLAMABAD: Private TV channels will be barred by the government from live transmissions from the Islamabad airport when PAT leader Dr Tahirul Qadri lands there early on Monday morning.

According to officials, after the Lahore tragedy, the Punjab government and Islamabad administration are apparently better prepared to deal with Dr Qadri’s so as not to allow a repeat of the June 17 bloody drama.

“Every possible step has been taken to block PAT workers to gather at, near or around the airport. At the same time, care and caution is being taken not to use force even in the face of an unruly crowd but handle it through non-violent means,” the officials say.“These measures and approaches are intended to neutralize the Qadri revolution at the very outset.”

Order to arrest Qadri’s activists not issued: Pervaiz

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid said on Sunday that the government had not directed the law enforcement agencies to arrest activists of Dr Tahirul Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) and that no one would be allowed to take the law into their hands.
He said that Tahirul Qadri wanted chaos in the country, media reported. In a statement, he said by doing so Tahirul Qadri wanted to disunite the nation and intended to extend unrest in the country. Pervaiz Rashid said Qadri could not survive under democratic rule so he wanted to weaken democracy.

The minister said that Qadri was part and parcel of the regime which had conducted the most rigged elections and referendum of 2002. Talking about the IDPs issue, he said that the government would utilise all available resources to address the sufferings of the affected people of North Waziristan.

The information minister said that all the departments concerned were in direct contact to look after the affected people. He said that Minister for States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch, governor and chief secretary were regularly holding meetings for the purpose.

Pervaiz Rashid said the federal and the provincial governments were in coordination with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Fata Disaster Management Authority to facilitate the displaced people. He said the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would not leave the affected people of North Waziristan alone.

The information minister said Imran Khan had failed to express solidarity with the affected people of Thar and Awaran. He said the prime minister had visited Thar and Awaran to mitigate the sufferings of the affected people.Pervaiz Rashid said Imran Khan did not demand the resignation from the provincial government when five hundred terrorists fled Dera Ismail Khan jail.