Political crisis continues despite FIR against Pakistan PM

The Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) parties continued to pressurise the Pakistan government Thursday despite an FIR filed against 21 people, including the prime minister and his brother.

Police registered a murder case against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and 20 others for their alleged involvement in the June 17 police shootout in Lahore's Model Town area. 

Police case number 693/2014 in the record includes the charges of murder, attempt to murder and terrorism, Xinhua reported.

Fourteen party workers, including two women, of Tahir-ul Qadri's party (PAT) were killed and 84 injured in the police firing after their protest turned violent in Model Town.

Soon after the incident, the provincial government had formed a single-member inquiry commission to probe the incident, but the PAT boycotted the commission and filed a petition before the court to register a case against the authorities, including the prime minister and his brother and Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif.

PAT leader Qadri, who is protesting in Islamabad in a sit-in with his supporters, Thursday rejected the FIR filed against 21 people, including the prime minister and his brother and Punjab chief minister, saying the case had not been registered under sections of anti-terrorism act, Geo News reported.

The FIR has been registered under various sections including murder and attempt to murder, following the Lahore high court's orders. 

The Minhaj-ul-Quran has accused 21 people including the prime minister, Punjab chief minister and other federal and provincial ministers of being involved in the killings during clashes that had erupted after police tried to remove barriers outside Qadri's office.

The federal government had directed the registration of a case and the decision was endorsed by the Punjab government.

Earlier in the day, Qadri announced he was ending the dialogue with the government as his demands were not accepted.

Qadri, whose supporters have staged an anti-government sit-in here since Aug 15, announced this shortly after concluding hours of talks with a government committee, Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, attempts were also being made to persuade PTI chief Imran Khan, as Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira held a meeting with him Thursday. After the meet, Kaira said they had requested Khan to review his deadline.

"Imran Khan listened to our recommendations carefully and will consult his aides," said Kaira, adding that there is also need for the government to make its intentions and attitude clear. 

Pakistan will get electoral reforms and better future through this struggle, said the JI chief after the meet, adding that democracy will prevail. It was a good sign that the participants at the sit-ins were peaceful, he added.