National political & religious leadership speaks with one voice against Model Town carnage

Addressing the All-Parties Conference, PAT chief Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that the rulers broke all records of savagery and terrorism by killing innocent and unarmed workers and the members of the civil society, which resulted in martyrdom of 14 people besides injuring over 125 workers. He said that police intimidated and coerced the Durood reciters in Gosh-a-Durood and did not even hesitate from desecrating the Holy Quran. He said that the Model Town police got the barriers erected around his residence and the central secretariat on the orders of the High Court after the members of neighbourhood moved a petition before the honourable Court for enhanced security measures. He said that no judicial order was given against these barriers to date. He said that this also meant that the power drunk rulers also committed contempt of court by removing the legally erected barriers. He said that the police action by thousands of officials on his residence and central secretariat during the intervening night of June 16-17 was fulfillment of a grand but nefarious design in the garb of removing barriers because huge contingent of police, armed with teargas, bulldozers, state of the art weaponry and bunkered vehicles, took part in the action on the special orders of the rulers. He further said that the police party was also assisted by snipers in large numbers.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that despite use of teargas and baton-charge, the police party had to retreat seven times from 1.30 a.m. to noon. He said that then police got an order from higher quarters to resort to indiscriminate firing at the unarmed and innocent workers, adding that following which the terrorists wearing police uniforms fired live bullets at over 125 people. He said that the snipers took positions on the rooftops of his neighbours and sprayed volley of bullets inside the bedrooms on the upper portion of his residence. He said that his sons and workers demonstrated extreme amount of patience and restraint and asked the security guards not to be provoked into retaliation and directed them to stay indoors. He said that the state terrorists also coerced and intimidated the Gosh-a-Durood reciters in the central secretariat.

Speaking at the occasion, PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said that the rulers stage-managed the Model Town tragedy to sabotage the military operation in North Waziristan in which the worst ever barbarism and state terrorism was committed by killing innocent citizens.

PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in his speech that the Model Town carnage was a heart-wrenching epoch in the history of the country. He said that the Chief Minister Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif was responsible for this act of terrorism and that he should immediately resign from his position. He said that it was a humanitarian not political issue, adding that height of oppression was that the killers lodged an FIR against the oppressed. PTI leader Mian Mahmood-ur-Rasheed said that he lodged a strong protest in the Punjab Assembly on June 17 and would continue to raise this issue in the coming sessions as well.

Former Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Sardar Aseff Ahmad Ali said on the occasion that the Chief Minister played the role of General Dyer and ordered the killing of innocent and unarmed workers of PAT. He said that justice of these martyrdoms would not be done in courts and assemblies but in streets and in the Court of Allah Almighty.

Expressing his views, MQM leader Dr Khalid Maqbool Saddique stated that the official machinery tried to scare the peaceful PAT workers from their mission of revolution by firing live bullets on them. He said that independent investigations were not possible in the presence of the Chief Minister and the Inspector General of Police who were involved in this incident.

Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Chairman of Sunni Ittehad Council, also spoke on the occasion. He said that the Chief Minister Punjab was the chief killer. He assured the bereaved families that the blood of their martyrs would not go in vain.

Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, the head of his faction of PML, said in his views that the Chief Minister would get information of falling of a kid in a manhole and the fact he remained ‘oblivious’ to killing of 15 people and injuring of over 100 people in his neighbourhood was startling. He said that all political and religious parties would have to come together on a single-point agenda of ending the night of oppression through street agitation against the current rulers.

Majlis-e-Wahdat-ul-Muslameen leader Allama Nasir Abbas, while expressing his views, said that the rulers had lost their right to rule. He said that those who attacked and tortured women and forcibly removed veils from their faces were impotent and did not deserve to be called humans.

Jamat-e-Islami leader Nazir Ahmad Janjua said in his remarks that the current cruel rulers had a history of committing violence on the innocent people. He reminded that these were the very rulers who used police to commit violence on JI workers during the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Pakistan, adding that they broke all records of savagery and state terrorism this time round.

Tehreek Hazara leader Baba Haider Zaman said in his views that the Model Town tragedy revived the memory of age of slavery. He said that humanity was killed in the garb of so-called democracy.

Allama Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer said in his speech that ‘Qisas’ should surely be taken over the martyrdoms of peaceful PAT workers. He said that 14 martyrdoms meant that humanity was killed fourteen times.

Former Federal Minister and renowned religious scholar Allama Hamid Saeed Kazami said that terrorists did not wear uniforms in the past but added that in case Model Town tragedy, the state terrorism was perpetrated by police wearing official uniforms. He said that hatred against police had increased among the people after the Model Town incident.

Ajmal Wazir from FATA said in his remarks that the government’s elements involved in the Model Town carnage were not ashamed of their act, which was quite regrettable.

MNA Jamshed Dasti said that the Chief Minister Punjab got IG Balochistan transferred and posted as IG Punjab solely for this operation. He said that the Commissions were meant to push the issues under the carpet, adding that those who committed this heinous crime would be punished on the roads.

Barrister Ahmad Raza Kasuri, the leader of All Pakistan Muslim League, said in his views that the rulers were directly involved in the Model Town tragedy and he could see them in the gallows soon.

Former Governor Punjab Ghulam Mustafa Khar, while expressing his views on the occasion, said that the responsibility of such a mass killing rested on the shoulders of the Chief Minister Punjab who presided over the state terrorism having been scared of support of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri among the masses. He said that through this act, the days of the cruel rulers had been numbered.

MPA from Sind province, Michael Javed said that he had resigned from PML-N due to the Model Town tragedy. He said that a number of PML-N office holders were likely to resign from their party positions and would join PAT.

MPA Raheela Tiwana said that the Model Town tragedy was not less than the Day of Judgment at a mini scale. She asked if terrorism had been conducted at the behest of the government’s leaders, what the future of Pakistan will be like.

Minority leader J. Salik said in his views that the rulers who were brought up in the lap of dictatorship outdid the atrocities committed during dictatorships by killing unarmed and innocent citizens. He said that this was the cruel rulers’ message to 200 million people to wake up from their slumber. He said that the whole Christian community stood by Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri.

Sardar Ramesh Singh said that the massacre in Model Town revived the memory of oppression at Jallianwala Bagh. He said that the Sikh community condemned this police brutality.

Five-point joint declaration of All-Parties Conference

The following is the text of joint declaration adopted by All Parties Conference that was held here at the central secretariat of Pakistan Awmai Thereek on June 29 to discuss state terrorism and savagery in Model Town on June 17.

1. The police attack that took place at the residence of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri and secretariat of Minhaj-ul-Quran International in Lahore on June 17 represents the worst ever example of state terrorism, savagery, violence and barbarism in which live bullets were fired at innocent and unarmed citizens, the unarmed women were killed by firing of live bullets for the first time in the history of Pakistan and the Holy Quran was desecrated. The Model Town tragedy is condemned in the strongest possible words. Protection of people’s lives and property, right to peaceful protest and freedom of expression are fundamental requirements of real democracy. The perpetration of violence and savagery on the unarmed citizens is an act which tantamounts to breaching Islamic, democratic, constitutional, legal and international values. Federal and Provincial Governments, police and administration are warned that no action of this kind can be tolerated at all and those responsible for it have no right to stay on in power anymore.
    
2. Baseless and fake FIR against the oppressed affectees of terrorism lodged by police that is itself involved in bloodshed in Model Town tragedy and all other FIRs registered against the men and women who took part in peaceful demonstrations in different cities to protest the incident are wholly rejected. It is pertinent to mention here that staging peaceful demonstrations is fundamental right of the citizens according to Article 16 of the Constitution. Therefore, it is forcefully demanded that all these baseless cases should immediately be withdrawn. It is further demanded that FIR should be registered immediately on the basis of application lodged by Minhaj-ul-Quran International with the Faisal Town Police Station. Ten days have elapsed since the application was lodged but no FIR has been registered so far.
    
3. Scenes of state terrorism and killing were captured live by national television channels and continued to be broadcast in which live bullets were fired at unarmed citizens. The Chief 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 is it possible to fulfill the requirements of justice. Therefore, the Chief Minister Punjab and all those Ministers involved in this incident should tender their resignations and hand themselves over to law. If the Chief Minister chooses not to resign, the President, being constitutional head of the state, should play his role to make him step down from his office.
    
4. All administrative and police officials who are involved in the Model Town tragedy such as Home Secretary, Inspector General of Police, DIG Operations, CCPO, SSP, DCO, SP Model Town, DSPs, and SHOs of relevant police stations should be suspended immediately and apprehended on charges of terrorism, and mass-killings.
    
5. A 3-member powerful Judicial Commission consisting of such undisputed, impartial Supreme Court Judges who have good reputation and enjoy the confidence of the affectees should be set up. The Commission should be empowered to summon any administrative official and political office holder including the Prime Minister, nominated Federal Ministers, and Chief Minister Punjab etc. Moreover, inquiry committee consisting of top officers of investigative agencies who enjoy good repute and in whom the victim repose their confidence should be established to probe the Model Town tragedy.

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Leaders & political parties that attended PAT’s All Parties Conference

• Ch. Shujaat Hussain, Ch. Pervez Elahi, Kamil Ali Agha, Adil Sheikh of PML-Q
• Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Mahmood-ur-Rasheed, and Ijaz Chaudrhy of PTI
• Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Abdul Rashid Godil, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif of MQM
• Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Syed Jawad-ul-Hassan, Sardar Muhammad Wazir-ul-Qadri, Mufti Haseeb Qadri of Sunni Ittehad Council
• Hafiz Salman Butt, Nazir Ahmad Junjua of Jamat-e-Islami
• Raja Nasir Abbas of Majlis-e-Wahdat-ul-Muslameen
• Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad of Awami Muslim League
• Syed Hamid Saeed Kazmi of Nizam-e-Mustafa Party
• Allama Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer of Jamiat Ahle-Hadith Pakistan
• Syed Ehsanullah Shah of Balochistan National Party
• Ajmal Wazir Khan of FATA
• Mian Saddam of Awami Ittehad Muzaffargarh
• MNA Jamshed Dasti
• Pir Muhammad Rashid Naqshbandi of Tanzeem Mashaikh-e-Izzam Pakistan
• Sardar Ramesh Singh of T.S.H. Pakistan
• Marten Javed Michael of Pakistan Christian Party
• Christian leader J. Salik
• Ahmad Raza Kasuri of All Pakistan Muslim League
• Allama Mirza Yousaf Hussain of All Pakistan Shia Action Committee
• Syed Ali Raza of Tehreek-e-Istehkam-e-Pakistan
• Syed Nobahar Shah of Pakistan Shia Political party
• Syed Akhtar Shah Advocate of Social Justice Party
• Naveed Khan of Muslim League-Haqiqi
• Khawaja Ghulam Farid Koreja of Saraikistan Ittehad
• Baba Haider Zaman of Tehreek Hazara Province
• Rao Tariq Ashfaq of Pakistan Muttahida Kisan Mahaz
• Syed Ghulam Shah of Sind United Party
• Shabnam Aslam of Interfaith Dialogue
• Moeen-ul-Haq Alvi of Majlis-e-Chishtia Pakistan
• Rana Muhammad Aslam of Saraiki Democratic Party
• Ch. Shaukat of Pakistan Mazdoor Mahaz
• Mumtaz Hussain Niazi of Pakistan Ghurba Party
• Pakistan Falah Party
• Saraiki Qaumi Ittehad Party
• Pakistan United Party
• JUP Niazi Group
• Pakistan Kisan Ittehad