APC holds Punjab CM responsible for Model Town massacre

Dated: 29 June 2014

LAHORE: An all-party conference (APC) hosted by Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri called for the resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and top police officials over June 17 Model Town tragedy.

In a five-point declaration issued on Sunday, participants of the APC said that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was actually responsible for the Model Town shootings, which left at least 14 workers of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) killed last week.

"The Cheif Minister of Punjab is the one who is actually responsible for this terrorism and massacre. Impartial and transparent investigation and submission of evidence is not possible as long as the Chief Minister continues to stay on in power nor it is possible to fulfill the requirments of justice," it said.

“Chief Minister Sharif should immediately step down and hand himself over to law,” it demanded.

The declaration called on President of Pakistan to play his role to dismiss Shahbaz Sharif if he refuses to quit. APC declared that June 17 incident was the worst example of state-sponsored terrorism.

The participating parties demanded the formation of a three-member bench of the Supreme Court to investigate the Model Town incident.

The APC also demanded the arrest of all police officials, including IG Punjab, involved in the brutal crackdown on MQI Secretariat.

Around 50 members of both political and religious parties were in attendance.

Attendees included Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q) chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Rabita committee member Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed, Sunni Ittehad Council head Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Majlis Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen (MWM) leader Allama Amin Shaheedi and senior leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami.

The Awami National Party (ANP) and Pakistan Political Party (PPP) did not attend the conference.

Dr Tahir ul Qadri thanked all party members who took part in the conference. Qadri had said that the subject of the APC was the killing of his supporters during the Model Town clashes. – SAMAA

Source: www.samaa.tv

Source : http://www.samaa.tv/pakistan/29-Jun-2014/model-town-tragedy-apc-asks-cm-shahbaz-to-step-down