Consensus on NAP was vitiated for political interests: Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri

PAT leader Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri said that the government wholly neglected the National Action Plan for 18 long months. He said that new time frame will not be helpful as the rulers are reluctant to launch decisive action against terrorists. He said that politics is being played on the Kashmir issue whose objective is to save oneself from accountability in the Panama leaks and Model Town case. He said that the role of the Prime Minister is suspect. He severely criticized the killing of women belonging to Hazara community and said that incompetence of the government is responsible for their killings. He said that corrupt rulers cannot protect the interests of the nation.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri stated this while talking to the members of the central Core Committee on phone yesterday. He informed the participants of the meeting of his discussions with the lawyers in regard to raising the Model Town issue at different forums of human rights. He told them that the case has been given final touch and all documents, audio and video have been made part of the case. He made it clear that there would be no talk less than Qisas in Model Town. He instructed the lawyers to appeal against the decision of the antiterrorism court regarding making the Model Town judicial commission report part of the proceedings of the private complaint. He said that we are exhausting all legal options to get justice for the Model Town victims, adding that we cannot sit idle on the shedding of blood of innocent people.

The PAT Chairman, while talking of the NAP, said that despite all differences, we extended our all-out support to the government on passage of NAP because the interest of the nation is dearer to us than anything else. He, however, added in the same breath that the government vitiated the environment of consensus and put this document in the dustbin. He said that the rulers are not trustworthy.

Dr Qadri reminded that at a time when the NAP was approved in the aftermath of the APS tragedy, the nation was assured that every provision of the NAP will be implemented in letter and spirit to rid it of corruption, terrorism, extremism, militancy, and economic terrorists and their facilitators. He said that it could not be done and joke was played with the nation for 18 long months. He said that over 30 incidents of terrorism took place since the adoption of the NAP in which scores of citizens were martyred including security forces personnel. National installations were targeted but the rulers continued with their business as usual approach with no reform at any level. He said that corruption and bad governance continued to remain a fact of life during this period. He said that talk of new time frame is not going to make much difference.

The PAT Chairman said that the government holds meetings on NAP because the Army Chief takes personal interest in them. He said that PML-N came into power with the support of the banned parties and they are never interested in launching decisive action against them. He said that PAT and MQI are the only parties that gave nation the peace curriculum; educated the youth and the people about the perils of Khwariji thought and issued 600-page Fatwa against terrorism and extremism in different languages. He said had rulers been serious in elimination of this pernicious ideology, they would have benefitted from this scholarly work. He said that they have flawed priorities which are defined by personal interests.