ISLAMABAD: Dr Tahirul Qadri on Friday accused the Sharifs-led government of not taking him seriously.

Addressing the participants of Pakistan Awami Tehreek sit-in, he said, “It seems to me that the government is not interested in talks. I guess, intentions of the government would become crystal clear in a couple of days.”

As the weather turned pleasant following downpour, Qadri stepped out of his container to address his followers. He looked fresh and energetic as he addressed thousands of his followers late in the evening on Friday. The crowed, comprising of women and teen girls, listened to their leader standing firm even in heavy rain.

Qadri vowed to keep on protesting until Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif steps down.

“We will continue protesting outside Parliament House until the illegitimate government of Sharifs steps down. Would you mind staying here with me until Nawaz Sharif steps down,” Qadri asked. As expected, his followers waved their hands to assure their support.

“You have our support. We are here to stay as long as you want us. Even we will not hesitate to sacrifice our live to obey you,” the crowd responded.

The PAT chief dispelled the impression that he was refusing to hold talks with the government. Qadri made it loud and clear that he was not against the talks as he had neither refused to hold negotiations nor he would do this in the future as well, saying, “Our doors for holding negotiations were open and we would continue to welcome the negotiating committees in the future.”

Dr Qadri said the government was not serious in talks while the negotiating committee of the opposition parties had met him and took a lead. He said his ‘revolution march’ was not only to seek resignation from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, but to change the system as electoral reforms were also part of the PAT agenda. With just two sessions of negotiations, the seriousness of the government could be judged, Qadri added.

Earlier, an emotional Qadri put the condition of resignation of the premier and the Punjab chief minister along with their cabinet members to start dialogue. But, on Friday, Qadri agreed to resume talks with the government to settle the issues.

Meanwhile, Dr Tahirul Qadri ordered his workers not to let the Sharifs flee the country. He accused that rulers were exploiting the people, saying they should do what they can afford in the future. He said rulers had blocked all the routes approaching to Islamabad only to stop the marchers from participating in the sit-in.

Qadri also said that ‘revolution’ was near and the marchers would soon see success.

Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/