LAHORE – The Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Lahore has turned down Pakistan Awami Tehreek’s (PAT) request to stage a sit-in on Istanbul Chowk on Mall Road on August 16, local media reported on Tuesday.
Due to the imposition of Section-144 in the area — that forbids more than four people to gather in one place — and August 16 being a working day, a sit-in on a main road of the city will cause difficulties to the public, said the spokesperson for Lahore DC.
The local administration has asked PAT to stage their sit-in at Nasir Bagh instead.
However, PAT has not yet replied to the local administration’s request, and Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) General Secretary, Khurram Nawaz Gandapur said that the sit-in would be staged as per schedule on August 16 on the Mall.
PAT chief chief Tahirul Qadri had announced on Friday that women belonging to families of the victims of the 2014 Model Town tragedy would stage a sit-in on The Mall from Aug 16 to “request” the Lahore High Court to make the Najfi commission report on the incident public.
“I appeal to the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court to order publication of the Najfi Commission report. We want to know what the report has revealed regarding the dismal incident,” Tahir-ul-Qadri said while talking to media.
He regretted that Justice Najfi Commission was set up to probe the killings of 14 people but its inquiry report was never made public.
