Qadri seeks Rs 10b in damages. Govt hints at his arrest

ISLAMABAD: Perhaps in damage control mode, a day after the debacle involving the homecoming of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr. Tahirul Qadri, the Pakistan government played both good-cop and bad-cop simultaneously, testing the waters as it were.

The Punjab government of Sahbaz Sharif ordered the release of all detained PAT workers, while his brother- Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ensured that Dr. Qadri sat on a throne of thorns, getting federal Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid to hint at the possibility of arresting the PAT chief. Dr. Qadri contributed his mite to keeping the cauldron boiling by suggesting that he would claim no less than Rs 10 billion in damages from the federal government and Emirates Airline for flying him to Lahore instead of Islamabad.

Emirates flight EK-612 with Qadri and his aides on board, was scheduled to land at Islamabads Benazir International Airport but was diverted by the government to Lahores Allama Iqbal International Airport on Monday, 23 June.

The Express Tribune reports that the government doled out carrots and sticks in equal measure on Tuesday, 24 June, a day after Dr Tahirul Qadri returned to Pakistan. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif ordered the release of dozens of PAT activists who were detained under the Maintenance of Public Order ahead of their leaders homecoming. However, those facing criminal charges would land in court, he warned.

The Punjab CM directed the Lahore police chief to ensure effective security at the Minhajul Quran Secretariat in consultation with PAT officials and also address Qadris apprehensions. The chief minister issued the orders after Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar passed on Qadris demands.

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