ISLAMABAD: The leadership of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) are planning to allow participants of the sit-ins to go home before Eidul Azha. A senior PAT leader said the recent announcement by the party chief regarding extension of the movement against the PML-N government to other parts of the country was part of the strategy to allow participants to go home before Eid.
“The PAT leadership was expecting the prime minister to resign, dissolve the assembly and call for re-elections within a week due to pressure from the sit-ins but when the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) decided to support the government and the democratic system this became a dream,” the PAT leader said.
A senior member of the PAT central working council (CWC) added that the party leadership believed that while it had not been easy for the participants to stay in the capital for over a month the circumstances could take a turn for the worse if the party leadership failed to take initiative for the safe return of the marchers.
Prolonged sit-ins compel leaders to relieve sit-in participants of hardships
“The number of people at the sit-ins is decreasing due to different reasons such as spread of different diseases among the participants due to unhygienic conditions on Constitution Avenue. The unpredictable pattern of monsoon rains, the marchers’ inability to take extended leaves from schools and workplaces as well as floods in various districts of rural Punjab, from where PAT draws most of its support, are the other reasons. The party is also considering the option of a court arrest movement to put pressure on the government,” the CWC member said.
When contacted, PAT spokesman Umar Riaz Abbasi said the party leadership was aware of the hardships faced by the participants. He said the recent announcement by Dr Qadri to take the protests to other parts of the country was taken keeping in view the hardships of the marchers.“Of course, the PAT leadership will consider other options to put pressure on the government if it did not fulfill our demands.”
Mr Abbasi said the deadlock between the government and PAT continued but whenever dialogue resumes the party would try to force the government to ask the chief minister Punjab to resign over the Model Town incident on June 17.
He also said the participants of the sit-ins had succeeded in raising awareness among the people about their rights and this was a big achievement for PAT.
A senior member of the PTI core committee said a large number of participants from the twin cities attended the sit-ins on the weekend while some PTI supporters were staying in hostels and guesthouses in the twin cities.
The PTI leader said while the number of PTI supporters staying day and night at the D-Chowk was limited, it was difficult for the party workers to stay in rented rooms for long.
He said that it seemed unlikely that the PML-N government would easily fulfill the demands of the PTI and the announcement of the PTI chief to extend the movement to other parts of the country was part of the party’s strategy.
He added that the party was also concerned about the expenses incurred at the sit-in over the last few weeks.
When contacted, PTI MNA Asad Umar told Dawn that at a recent meeting the party leadership discussed the idea of allowing the participants from outside the twin cities to go home before Eid.
The MNA said the party leadership had decided to take a final decision after its public gathering in Lahore on Sunday.
“It’s possible that the PTI chief may decide to address supporters from the twin cities in the evening on the first day of Eid,” the MNA added.
Women at Pakistan Awami Tehreek sit-in eager to go home
ISLAMABAD: Twenty-two-year-old Rabia Saeed was looking forward to being home as her father reached Islamabad to take her back after she spent 40 days in the sit-in of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT).
A resident of Shorkot tehsil of Jhang, Rabia attended the sit-in along with her fellow students and teachers from Minhajul Quran University in Lahore on the direction of PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri.
“The PAT chief asked all students, his followers and supporters to reach Islamabad to bring a revolution in the country,” Rabia said.
Weeks under the open sky have taken their toll on fervour and families want their daughters back home
She said she also asked her parents to join her in Islamabad but they refused as her father, a farmer, could not leave his work.
“My father allowed me to join the sit-in but he did not expect me to be camping under the open sky for 40 days. These have been the most difficult days of our lives as living on the streets was not an easy task.”
Rabia said she had contracted fever and throat infection for nearly two weeks because of the unhygienic conditions in the camps.
Saeed Chaudhry, Rabia’s father, told Dawn that in retrospect he considered it to be a mistake to allow his daughter to participate in the sit-in.
“I was expecting the sit-in to be over in a week and for my daughter to be back. It is difficult to understand why the PAT chief failed to bring a revolution while the sit-ins added to the difficulties of the people of Pakistan,” he said.
“Do you think it was easy for my wife and me to sleep comfortably while our daughter was sleeping under the open sky for five weeks?”
Like Rabia Saeed, Nabeela Jabbar, 29, a resident of Narowal district, was leaving the sit-in with her brother.
“I was only interested in getting a religious education which is why I convinced my parents to allow me to get admission to Minhajul Quran University in Lahore,” Nabeela said.
After completing her education at the university, she started working as a teacher there.
“Though I believe that Dr Qadri’s demands about the facilities of education, healthcare and job opportunities for the youth are genuine it is difficult for women to live under such difficult circumstances outside the Parliament House,” she added.
Nabeela said her mother had been calling her on daily basis because she was worried when she heard about the clashes between the police and protesters.
Saad Jabbar, Rabia’s elder brother, said it was unfortunate that religious scholars like the PAT chief were using women and children as pawns in pursuit of their agendas.
A resident of Lahore, 27-year-old Uzma Akhtar also reached Islamabad along with her friends on August 15.
“I am doing masters in Islamic Studies at the Punjab University, Lahore. My friend and neighbours asked me to join the sit-in of PAT in Islamabad,” Uzma said.
“I thought that it was a good opportunity to be part of a movement to bring a revolution besides seeing the federal capital for the first time in my life.” She said it was very difficult to be at the sit-in day and night and she had been telling her friends that she wanted to go home.
“My friends are teachers and students at the Minhajul Quran University and they told me that bringing a revolution would need some more days.”
She said her mother had told her that she was coming to Islamabad to take her home.
“Some other young women from Lahore at the PAT sit-in told me that they also wanted to go home,” she said.
According to the women participants of the sit-ins, hundreds of families and single girls had already left Islamabad during the last three weeks while dozens of others, including the students and teachers of the Minhajul Quran institutions, wanted to return to their areas as soon as possible.
When contacted, Umar Riaz Abbasi, the spokesman for PAT, said while the suffering of the people were increasing due to the prolonged sit-in, it was the responsibility of the government to overcome the political crisis through peaceful dialogue.
He said hundreds of families had left the sit-in due to their personal problems at home and it was also unfortunate that some people lost their homes and incurred damages to property in their native villages due to the flooding in Punjab and AJK. He said the PAT leadership had never forced anyone to stay at the sit-in but the participants were requested to spend maximum time at the venue.
PAT chief refuses to allow sit-in participants to go home
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri refused on Monday to allow the sit-in participants, except the residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, to return home.
“The residents of the twin cities can go home on condition that they spend maximum time at the sit-in, but those from other parts of the country will not leave the place before their chief leaves the Constitution Avenue,” Dr Qadri announced as the sit-in completed its 39th day.
On Sunday, the PAT chief had said he would tell his supporters on the morrow when they could finally go home. He also claimed that the government was planning a crackdown to arrest the protesters.
He said it was unfortunate that the Election Commission of Pakistan published ‘Post-election Review Report’ on its website in which it was mentioned that the returning officers were responsible for the mess in various constituencies.
“It is difficult to understand that the ECP remained silent after the elections while its management published the report after over nine months,” he said.
Dr Qadri said the report had made it evident that the elections were totally illegal, unconstitutional and against Article 62, 63 and 218 of the Constitution.
“The incumbent assembly and parliament are unconstitutional and undemocratic due to the suspension of Article 62, 63 and 218. Is there anyone who can throw the fake members of the assembly outside the parliament house?”
The PAT chief said that he would announce in a few days the line of action on how to spread his revolutionary movement countrywide.
“It is a success of the sit-in participants that they have created awareness among the nation for their rights.”
Dr Qadri said the first and foremost what a nation should get from its parliament was the provision of fundamental human needs.
He said the World Health Organisation had recommended that at least 6 per cent of GDP be spent on health of a nation, but in Pakistan only 1pc of GDP was spent in the health sector.
“There are fewer than 1,000 public hospitals in Pakistan while after the revolution we will make 1,000 more hospitals and 5,000 dispensaries,” he added.
IMRAN KHAN: Speaking to participants of his party’s sit-in, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan reiterated that he would not end his movement until the resignation of the prime minister.
He said the PTI would break its own record by holding “another historic rally” in Lahore on Sunday.
“We will stage a massive sit-in on Friday in Islamabad and then go to Lahore on Sunday. People of Lahore and Punjab be ready. Karachi has done its job. We will see a sea of people at Minar-i-Pakistan on Sunday.”
The PTI chief said that he would shift his focus to interior of Sindh once he got the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
“I am glad that Pakistanis have woken up while you, the participants of the sit-in, are going to make history. It is the demand of people that we should not leave our movement until the resignation of the prime minister.”
Mr Khan called upon the privileged class to think about 100 million people who did not have access even to toilets and other basic facilities.
He said that thousands of people turned up at PTI’s rally in Karachi on a short notice while the people came in a large number from the airport to Mazar-i-Quaid to “greet us”.
He said Pakistan had been divided into two parts. “One is for the elite while the other is for the underprivileged.”
“We are launching a new programme of Azadi Razakar. You have to send a text message on 0022 and write “Azadi”. You will get a response comprising 10 points. That message should be spread to every nook and corner of the country,” he added.
Imran met Qadri in UK, admits Qureshi
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan told his supporters in Karachi to prepare for his arrival in the city on Sunday.
Addressing his followers from atop his container at the D-Chowk in front of Parliament House, he said: “Be ready, my dear people in Karachi. I am coming to address a public gathering in your city, but I will be back in Islamabad tomorrow night so I can participate in the sit-in at D-Chowk.”
In a rare show of vulnerability, the PTI chief also admitted that he and his party were learning the game of politics with the passage of time.
“The PTI is running a provincial government this time around, but we will show you a major change in the administration of government business when we come to power,” Mr Khan said.
PTI chief to address rally in Karachi today
In addition, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi finally confirmed on Saturday that Mr Khan had indeed met Dr Tahirul Qadri in London before the two leaders’ march on the capital on Independence Day last month.
Shireen Mazari, the party’s spokesperson, had earlier denied the report. But speaking to a TV channel on Saturday, Mr Qureshi said Shireen Mazari was not aware about the meeting.
However, he claimed that the two leaders had only discussed the political situation in the country and no joint strategy was thrashed out for their long marches.
Mr Qureshi’s admission comes just three days after Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid alleged that a plan to “remove the elected government” and destabilise the country was prepared during a secret meeting between Mr Khan and Dr Qadri in London.
The minister wondered why Imran Khan was trying to conceal this information from the nation.
When the same question was put to Mr Qureshi, he said the timing of the release of such information was the discretion of any political leader.
“Today, I know many things which cannot be disclosed at this point in time.”
Mr Qureshi said that he did not know if any other person was also present in the London meeting.
Also on Saturday, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) leader Dr Tahirul Qadri claimed that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had managed to exonerate himself in 143 corruption cases after coming to power 15 months ago with the help of the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau.
“The prime minister appointed his close aide, retired Major Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, as NAB chairman in connivance with the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly,” the PAT chief alleged.
He said that he was not ready to accept such a system where the poor could not survive due to rampant inequality.
“The government has failed to provide relief to the common man. Sixty per cent of Pakistanis cannot make both ends meet,” he said.
