Islamabad: Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), religio-political party headed by Islamic scholar Dr Tahirul Qadri has agreed to take part in Pakistan Tahreek-i-Insaf’s planned November 2 anti-government march to shut down Islamabad, a report Monday said.
PTI leader Imran Khan, who spoke by phone with Qadri currently living abroad, welcomed the PAT chief’s decision to join the anti-government march, according to the report on the news website of Dawn News.
The report said Awami Muslim League chief Shaikh Rasheed, who was tasked to convince Qadri to join the march, confirmed the development.
“I have categorically accepted Imran Khan’s invitation to take part in the [Islamabad] sit-in,” Qadri was quoted as saying by ‘Dawn News’. “The workers of both the parties are fighting for the same cause,” he added.
Qadri said PAT officials will meet and discuss the future course of action.
Earlier in September, Qadri’s PAT had distanced itself from the PTI’s march and rally near the residence of ruling Sharif family at Raiwind in Punjab province,
Another party, Pakistan Muslim League-Q, which ran the government during the regime of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, has also backed the PTI plan.
The main opposition Pakistan People’s Party led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of former president Asif Ali Zardari, has lent only moral support to the PTI campaign against the alleged corruption of rulers.
Imran Khan claimed on Monday that a million people would participate in the November 2 march to lock down Islamabad.
“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has two options — to step down or accept terms of reference decided by the opposition camp for judicial inquiry into Panama Papers revelations about offshore wealth of the ruling family,” the PTI leader said.
The government’s side lashed out at the PTI chief, asking him to give up his agitation and wait for the decision of the Supreme Court which has taken up the Panama Papers’ case.
A three-judge bench of the top court started the crucial hearing last week and has scheduled the next sitting for first of November after issuing notices of all respondents, including the prime minister.
Verbal war between the PTI and the government has intensified and incendiary rhetoric from both sides has triggered fears of outbreak of violence in the days ahead.
