LAHORE: Dr Tahirul Qadri says he will not appear before the anti-terrorism court (ATC) in the PTV attack case until Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif are arrested in the Model Town shooting case.

“The government will first have to arrest those nominated in the FIR of the Model Town killings, including the prime minister and the Punjab chief minister, then we’ll appear in the false and fabricated case registered against us,” the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief told reporters on his return from Canada on Thursday.

He challenged the government to arrest him, saying: “I’m not hiding anywhere and have returned home.”

An ATC court in Islamabad has issued warrant for Dr Qadri and Imran Khan and others in the PTV case in August in Islamabad.

Dr Qadri alleged the government was doling out favours to win loyalties of the witnesses in the Model Town case, as the person (Dr Tauqeer Shah) who gave the orders for opening fire at his workers was being made an ambassador only to stop him from becoming approver and to keep his mouth shut.

On June 17, 14 people were killed allegedly by Lahore police in a clash with PAT workers in Model Town. A case was registered under terror and criminal sections against the Sharifs and top federal and provincial ministers and police officers.

The government recently formed a a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe into to the Model Town killings but Dr Qadri rejected the team.

The recently formed JIT is being led by Quetta police chief Abdur Razzaq Cheema, who, according to the PAT, is a family friend of the Sharifs.

“This JIT of murderers is unacceptable,” said Dr Qadri and referred to the Sharifs as the “actual” murderers, adding once they were arrested, he would also turn himself in to police.

“Everyone knows on whose order the police started firing at innocent PAT workers,” he said, vowing not to allow justice to be manipulated by the “corrupt” rulers.

He alleged the government backed out after accepting PAT demands in talks during the Islamabad sit-in.

Dr Qadri said the judicial commission probing into the Model Town killings watched 12-hour footage of the police action and declared the Punjab government responsible for the mishandling of the incident which led to the killing of 14 PAT workers.

He said the government received commission’s report 40 days ago but did not make it public.

Referring to forming of a review board on the commission’s report, he regretted that a retired judge was being appointed to review the fact finding report of a serving judge of the Lahore High Court.

He said the rulers were buying time through a stay order allegedly obtained through their influence.

He called the review board and the JIT a sheer violation of the norms of law.

“When a judicial commission has given its findings, there is no need to review it,” he said, adding, “if at all a review commission has to be formed, the same judge (who wrote the report) is appointed.”

He feared that under the guise of this review board the report would be changed and rewritten in the favour of the Sharifs.

He said Taqueer Shah, then principle secretary to the chief minister, was being rewarded to keep his mouth shut through appointing him an ambassador in Geneva in the WTO mission.

The Commerce Ministry, he said, had sent seven names to fill the post but the rulers rejected them.

Earlier, after landing at the Lahore airport, Dr Qadri went to the Data Darbar to invoke the blessings of the great Sufi saint. Thousands of his admirers accompanied the PAT chief.

RANA: PML-N leader and an accused in Model Town case, Rana Sanaullah, said on Thursday the JIT had been constituted in accordance with the law.

He said if Dr Qadri did not believe in the constitution of JIT he could make an appeal to the home department or court.

He said that when summoned, the prime minister, chief minister and all those nominated in FIR would appear before the investigation team and the court of law.

He said the allegation that Dr Shah was being sent abroad was baseless. “Dr Tauqeer is not nominated in the FIR, how he can become an approver?” he said.

He denied that there was no conspiracy or planning behind Model Town incident.

Published in Dawn, November 21th, 2014