LAHORE - It seems as if Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) of Dr Tahirul Qadri has been taken by surprise by Imran Khan’s sudden announcement of toppling the Nawaz government thorough their ‘Azadi March’, as PAT too has modified its own revolution programme accordingly.
PAT and its major ally PML-Q now have planned to convert the Youm-i-Shuhada (martyrs day) into Inqilaab (revolution) March Day and the date for launching the movement will be announced on that day, The Nation has learnt.
Dr Qadri’s party, in consultation with its main ally Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), had earlier announced to observe August 10 – the 40th day of mourning for the victims of June 17 Model Town tragedy – as Youm-i-Shuhada. They had warned of taking on the ruling family’s Raiwind palace if force was used to stop the participants to attend the event.
A top PML-Q leader confided to The Nation on Monday: Youm-i-Shuhada will be a launching pad for the Revolution March and the event would help gather the required momentum for the march on Islamabad.
According to him, after the announcement of the Revolution March, the allied PML-Q, Sunni Ittehad Council and Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen along with the leading party PAT would most likely launch the march from Lahore on August 12 and reach Gujrat the same day. After spending the night there, they would proceed for Islamabad on August 13 and may reach the federal capital even before Imran Khan’s Azadi March participants reach there on August 14.
The PML-Q leader informed: A review meeting of the allies is most likely to be held tomorrow (August 6) at the residence of PML-Q high command at Zahoor Elahi Lane. This would be the first visit of PAT chief to Chaudharys residence since his return to the country with his declared aim of changing the state system in Pakistan. He informed: The two major allies of the Revolution March, PML-Q and PAT, are arranging 1,200 bullet proof jackets to protect the frontline marchers to prevent the kind of loss suffered in Model Town incident.
A top lieutenant of PAT chief informing this scribe: The copy of audio tapes connecting Punjab chief minister with Model Town incident, as claimed by Qadri, could be made public either on Youm-i-Shuhada or upon reaching the federal capital August 14. The exact timing of unveiling these tapes would be taken during a final round of meetings among the allies of the march in next few days, he added.
When asked how the PAT got copies of the classified material, he while declining to divulge the sources said: We have good contacts inside government departments and these contacts don’t want to obey the illegal orders of their incumbent political bosses anymore.
PAT senior leader Dr Raheeq Abbasi, when contacted, avoiding a direct comment said: We are ready to launch the Inqilaab March at anytime on the orders of Dr Tahirul Qadri and what other occasion could be the better than Youm-i-Shuhada for announcing it.
Meanwhile, PML-Q Punjab President Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi chairing a party meeting in connection with Youm-i-Shuhada preparations has directed all the party leaders and workers to take along food for at least seven days to participate in the event, as nobody knows what situation emerges from that day’s happenings. He warned the rulers that they could not succeed in their plans to pitch Pak Army against the masses for achieving their selfish political targets.