LAHORE: Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri says his agenda of ousting the Nawaz government is very much intact but his destination is even beyond this task.

Speaking to the media after laying a wreath on the ‘monument’ of the Model Town incident victims outside the PAT headquarters here on Friday, he claimed that ousting the government was not his destination rather he would go beyond that.

“Toppling the government is just a sojourn on the path to revolution.”

Clarifying his Thursday’s statement that forming a grand alliance had never been his agenda, he said he meant that he did not have time for political alliances which usually started with a wider programme but at the end these were converted into one-point agenda of overthrowing the government.

About leaving the press conference while leaders of the PAT allies were still to speak on Thursday, he said it was pre-planned as otherwise the media would not have been consistently focusing on him at the cost of these leaders. He said PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat, who was making contacts with other parties for Sunday’s all-party conference, was his friend and would remain so in future.

As for reports that the FIA was collecting information about his and his party’s assets, the PAT leader said he was not worried about the efforts as he had a clean past. He said he did not use party funds for his personal use. He demanded investigation into the assets of the Sharifs, alleging they had $200 million assets just in Swiss banks.

Meanwhile, the PAT and PML-Q leadership continued contacting various politicians for inviting them to Sunday’s APC.

The Jamaat-i-Islami and Pir Ijaz Hashmi-led JUP accepted the invitation, while JUI of Maulana Samiul Haq deferred the decision till Saturday.

Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Sardar Assef Ahmed Ali, a former foreign minister, called on Dr Qadri and joined the PAT.

The PAT also took out a rally from Shalamar Gardens to the Lahore Press Club to show solidarity with the army engaged in North Waziristan operation. Carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans in favour of the army and against terrorists, they chided the government for providing protection to the ‘terrorists’ in the name of talks.

Information Secretary Qazi Faiz said Dr Qadri was the first to raise a voice against the terrorists and express solidarity with the armed forces.

Dr Qadri also joined a rally which was taken out from his Model Town offices.

Published in Dawn, June 28th , 2014