Qadri scrambles to unify opposition following the 'laanat' debacle
Despite the passage of 4 days, a meeting of the oppositions unified action committee over the Model Town incident has failed to convene. Photo: OINN
(Dunya News) – It seems troubles will not end any time soon for the opposition. The derogatory remarks made regarding the parliament by Sheikh Rasheed and Imran Khan during the Mall Road rally have stirred a political controversy that has left Dr. Tahir ul Qadri scrambling to unify the opposition that had, just few days back, shared the same stage in Lahore.
The derogatory word ‘laanat’ being used for the parliament by both Rasheed and Khan in Lahore last week has left several members of the joint opposition annoyed. Despite the passage of 4 days, a meeting of the opposition’s unified action committee over the Model Town incident has failed to convene.
The opposition that had come together to demand justice for the victims of the 2014 Model Town incident seems to be scattered following the recent Mall Road rally in Lahore. With Imran Khan coming under fire over his remarks not just by the government but also by different segments of the opposition, especially the PPP, the issue of Model Town incident has taken a backseat for now. Tensions between both the parties were already rife prior to the Lahore rally, but the recent remarks have once again ignited differences between two major opposition parties – PTI and PPP – as despite an earlier announcement, a scheduled meeting of the opposition’s action committee has failed to materialise.
The PPP has termed Imran Khan’s derogatory remark a suicide attack. PPP’s Chauhdry Manzoor Ahmad has said that Khan’s remark was a suicide attack not just on the sanctity of the parliament but also on the rally in which both had participated just few days back.
According to Dunya News, sources claim that the rift between the PPP and the PTI has left Dr. Qadri worried. The chief of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek had aspired to build political pressure against the ruling PMLN which he had hoped would gain momentum through the Mall Road rally in Lahore last week. While that appears to have failed, the tougher task is bringing the opposition together – something for which he has already started making rigorous efforts once again.
For more on this, watch a report by Dunya News below.
