Lahore: Qadri conditionally agrees to get off the plane
Punjab government has accepted Dr. Tahirul Qadri's demands.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri has conditionally agreed to get off the plane. The PAT chief said he is ready to leave the plane if Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar takes him to his Model Town residence.
According to sources, the Punjab government has accepted Qadri s demand and Governor Chaudhry Sarwar has left for the airport to pick him.
In his earlier demand, Qadri announced that he will not disembark in Lahore untill Pak Army provides him security.
Later, he demanded that a bullet-proof car and his personal guards should be allowed near the plane to take him home.
Tahirul Qadri said he has come to Pakistan with all his belongings and will stay till ‘revolution’ prevails in the country.
EK612 SAGA
Emirates Airline flight EK612 from Dubai to Islamabad was diverted to Lahore.The flight was scheduled to originally land at the Benazir International Airport in Islamabad at 7.30am.
According to Emirates airlines the flight with over 200 passengers landed at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore at around 9.30am (local time).
“Emirates flight EK612 from Dubai to Islamabad on June 23, 2014, was diverted to Lahore, as directed by the Pakistan authorities,and landed safely,” Emirates said, adding, “Travelling onboard the flight was Tahirul Qadri, an Islamic scholar, and his delegation.”
QADRI S ClAIMS
Upon his arrival, Dr. Tahirul Qadri claimed that ‘terrorists in police uniform and plain clothes are waiting for him outside.’
“The Sharif government is a murderous state. They have killed many of our supporters. We have confirmed reports they have hired terrorists to carry out attacks on their opponents,” he said.
Expressing confidence in army, Tahirul Qadri said he will only hold talks with military leadership.
“I only trust the army; their high officials should come and escort us safely to our home.”
Qadri moved to Canada in 2006 after receiving death threats for his opposition to militant organizations. In January 2013, he tried to pressure the government into election reforms by camping out in Islamabad with tens of thousands of his supporters for four days. He ended the protest after receiving assurances over political reforms from the main political parties.
The current government of Nawaz Sharif was elected in May 2013.
Last week, at least eight people were killed in a violent clash between police and Qadri s supporters at his party s headquarters in Lahore. The government in Punjab province, of which Lahore is the capital, said the policemen were attacked while trying to remove road barriers in front of the PAT buildings.
Opposition parties accused the government of using police brutality to intimidate political rivals. The Punjab government, led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif s brother, Shahbaz Sharif, denied the accusation.
