It is important to assess the incident with a multi-dimensional approach
LAHORE: A single bench of the Lahore High Court ordered the Punjab government to release the Justice Baqir Najfi Commission report on the Model Town incident that happened in 2014. The case will now be heard by a full bench of the LHC pertaining to the fact that the decision by the single bench has missed out on many important legal aspects that the Punjab government pointed at.
It is important to assess the incident with a multi-dimensional approach. Despite the fact that the clash between the protesters and the police led to killings, several reports state that the Punjab government only ordered the removal of the barriers outside the residence of the PAT chief Tahirul Qadri and never ordered the police to open fire at the demonstrators. As the prime responsibility to maintain the law- and- order situation lies with the government, to hold the provincial government as the sole party responsible for the incident would be unjust and unfair.
Though governments are usually blamed for either not being able to deal with such situations in a tactful manner or for not avoiding confrontation and clash with the protesters, the government in this case deserves to be heard with all the anti-government biases kept aside.
Minhal Liaquat
Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th, 2017.
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