LAHORE: The Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri on Saturday announced his party would contest by-elections and local bodies elections in the coming months.

He was talking to the media at his secretariat in Model Town after holding meetings with party office-bearers. Qadri, who has wound up his sit-in in Islamabad last week, parting ways with the undeclared ally Imran Khan, has already announced he would contest the next general elections in the country.

Qadri said his party’s organisational activities would continue in other countries too for which he would have to travel abroad regularly. “No one should have any objection over it as I could go abroad and return as many times I wanted to,” he added.

The PAT chief said he had chalked out a swift reorganisation campaign of the party and also evolved a schedule of public meetings across the country where he would personally address to mobilise the masses. He claimed the PAT would soon be the largest political party of the country.

Qadri said Imran Khan was completely aware of his decision, which had been taken independently, to wind up the sit-in for the past one month and had been consulted continuously on every development.

He rejected the claim about a deal with the government and said the deadlock was still there, adding that the prime minister, Punjab chief minister or their any family member did not hold any meeting with him.

Qadri said he had now shifted to Pakistan from Canada and would remain in the country till the elections and bring about the promised revolution for getting rid of the corrupt and rotten system.

The PAT chief said he had converted his sit-in into public meetings at all the major cities and towns in the country. He said the sit-in had created awareness among the people who had developed a relation with revolution. “We would make people part of the revolution by visiting every town and city,” he added.

Meanwhile, Qadri would soon start a fundraising trip to the United States and European countries. He will fly abroad during the holy month of Muharram in which his party has not scheduled any public gathering. Qadri is also expected to visit Canada.

Source: www.thenews.com.pk