Model Town carnage: Minhajul Quran goes to high court against ATC decision

Challenges trial court’s decision to spare PM, other influential suspects

LAHORE: Tahirul Qadri’s religious movement headquarters has gone to court against the decision of an anti-terrorism court for not summoning Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other prime suspects in the Model Town carnage case.

On Saturday, Idara Minhajul Quran filed a petition in the Lahore High Court, challenging the decision of the ATC, which refused to try 12 suspects, including Premier Nawaz and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The trial court in its decision on a private complaint of the Tahirul Qadri-led Pakistan Awami Tehreek had refused to try Nawaz, Shehbaz, Federal Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Defence Minister Khwaja Asif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, ex-information minister Pervez Rashid, State Minister Abid Sher Ali, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, MNA Hamza Shahbaz, former secretary to CM Tauqir Shah, Home Secretary Azam Suleman and former Lahore commissioner Rashid Langaryal.

The court, however, decided to try the other 124 officials, including Punjab police chief Mushtaq Sukhera and former DCO Lahore Muhammad Usman.

In its petition, Minhajul Quran Director Jawad Hamid stated the trial court had ignored case evidence and erred by not summoning the 12 respondents. He alleged the prime minister and others were the real masterminds and abettors of the tragedy.

The petitioner requested the court to set aside the ATC decision and direct the trial court to summon the 12 influential suspects.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2017.