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Business News/ News / World/  Pakistan agrees to cleric’s demand for FIR against PM Nawaz Sharif
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Pakistan agrees to cleric’s demand for FIR against PM Nawaz Sharif

Tahir-ul-Qadri had called for a murder case against 21 people, including prime minister Sharif, for their alleged role in clashes that killed 14 of his supporters

Tahir-ul-Qadri (pictured) has also demanded that after the registration of the case, both Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif should resign. Photo: ReutersPremium
Tahir-ul-Qadri (pictured) has also demanded that after the registration of the case, both Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif should resign. Photo: Reuters

Islamabad: The Pakistan government on Thursday accepted a key demand of cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri by agreeing to register a murder case against 21 people, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, for their alleged role in the clashes that killed 14 of his supporters.

The Lahore sessions court, hearing the case related to the clashes in Lahore’s Model Town area on 17 June, had ordered the police to register a murder case earlier this month against 21 people named by Qadri-led Pakistan Awami Tahreek (PAT) in its complaint.

Pakistani police, however, refused to register the murder case against Prime Minister Sharif, his brother and Punjab province chief minister Shahbaz Sharif and some top Cabinet ministers despite the court order on framing of charges.

Federal minister Saad Rafique told reporters on Thursday that all the 21 people will be part of the FIR (first information report) as demanded by Qadri. “Now his main demand has been accepted and he should, for God’s sake, call off protests," Rafique said.

Qadri’s PAT has named the people in the murder of 14 people who were killed in clashes with the police on 17 June in Lahore, just a few days ahead of his arrival from Canada.

The court had ordered the registration of a murder case against Nawaz Sharif, his brother Shahbaz, his nephew Hamza Shahbaz, interior minister Chaudhry Nisar, defence minister Khawaja Asif, railways minister Rafique, information minister Pervaiz Rashid, state minister Abid Sher Ali (also a relative of the Sharif), former Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah and top police officers who took part in the “barricades removal operation".

Qadri has also demanded that after the registration of the case, both the Sharif brothers should resign. Rafique said such a resignation will come only if anyone is found guilty and convicted.

The decision to launch the FIR came hours before Qadri’s expected “unspecified" announcements on Thursday, which he declared as “Revolution Day", to force the government to accept the demands.

The announcement to register murder cases is the first major concession by the government and a sign of its increasing vulnerability to the threats posed by Qadri and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, who is protesting against alleged rigging of last year’s general election.

Political stalemate has continued for the last two weeks with Khan’s PTI and Qadri’s PAT refusing to budge from their demand for the prime minister’s resignation. The protesters have been sitting in front of the parliament house and the supreme court building since 19 August, demanding Sharif’s resignation. PTI

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Published: 28 Aug 2014, 04:40 PM IST
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