LAHORE Pakistan Awami Tehr-eek (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri has said that he will travel abroad to revive his party’s overseas offices which have been dysfunctional since he resigned as member of the National Assembly in 2004.

He said PAT would field its candidates in all by-elections whether it succeeded in forcing the government to introduce reforms in the electoral set-up or not.

“Our party became dysfunctional after I resigned from the assembly in 2004 in protest against the corrupt and tyrannical system. And since we have decided to take part in politics and in the next elections after calling off the Islamabad sit-in, it is necessary to revive the party in Pakistan and abroad.

“So I will visit Canada or other countries, whether for 100 times, to restore the party’s overseas offices and complete other important assignments, such as lectures and events, etc., and will return to the country time to time to address rallies and public meetings,” he explained.

Qadri said he had moved from abroad and Pakistan was now his home.

He denied striking any deal with the government to end the sit-in. No member of the Sharif family met or even telephoned him before or after the end of sit-in, Qadri said.

He said the decision to wind up the sit-in was exclusively of his party because it wanted to extend its movement to across the country.

“Last month, I had told Imran Khan that prolonging the sit-in would not be beneficial anymore. Although the sit-in couldn’t topple the government, it created a massive awareness among the masses about rigging, injustice, corrupt system, etc. But Khan did not agree to my suggestion,” he said.

The PAT chief said his party would not leave the political field open for the PML-N, PPP or any other party and take part in all by-elections even if they were held under the existing electoral system. The PAT would continue its struggle for revolution and a corruption-free election commission, he added.

Qadri said the deadlock on PAT’s major demands, including resignation of the Punjab chief minister and setting up of a joint investigation team, still existed. After his decision to contest general and local bodies elections, Qadri announced that the PAT would be participating in by-polls. “PAT has been restored in electoral politics. You will see us turning PAT into the largest political party in Pakistan.”

The PAT chief said the Islamabad sit-in had been transformed into nationwide sit-ins. He announced that rallies will not be held during the religious event but will resume afterwards. According to the PAT chief the rally in Bhakkar will be held on November 23, in Sargodha on December 5, Sialkot on December 14, Manshera on December 21 and at the Qauid’s mausoleum in Karachi on December 25.

Source: www.omantribune.com