Model Town tragedy case: LHC forms full bench to hear plea

The petitioner states the trial court spared the named respondents and summoned the rest of the nominated suspects

LAHORE: A full bench of the Lahore High Court will hear the petition filed by Idara Minhajul Quran against the anti-terrorism court’s order of not to question Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and others in the Model Town massacre case.

On Tuesday, LHC Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah constituted the three-member full bench headed by Justice Yawar Ali and comprising Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Abdul Sami Khan.

In his petition through his counsel Rai Bashir Ahmad, Minhajul Quran’s Jawad Hamid has cited Premier Nawaz, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, Railways Minister Saad Rafique, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, lawmakers Hamza Shehbaz, Abid Sher Ali, Pervaiz Rashid, Syed Tauqeer Shah, Maj (retd) Azam Suleman and Rashid Mahmood among the respondents.

Jawad is the complainant in a private complaint against the Model Town tragedy, when 14 people died on June 17, 2014 during police action. He alleged the victims were murdered by police in connivance with the respondents.

The petitioner stated the trial court spared the named respondents and summoned the rest of the nominated suspects on the charges of killing innocent people in Model Town.

The petitioner had requested the LHC to set aside the ATC decision to the extent of not summoning the 12 respondents and question them.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2017.