Proceedings on Model Town JIT adjourned

Application requests court for adjournment as PAT counsel Ali Zafar is on a foreign visit

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court adjourned for an indefinite period the proceedings on petitions wherein the formation of a second JIT on the Model Town massacre had been challenged.

The LHC office received an adjournment application requesting the court to adjourn the proceedings as the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT)’s counsel Ali Zafar was on a foreign visit.

A seven-member bench, headed by the Chief Justice of the LHC, Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti, was to hear this case on January 17.

In earlier proceedings the petitioner’s counsel, Azam Nazir Tarar, had argued that the only purpose of the government to form the second JIT was that there were some people of the Opposition in the list of the accused.

The matter is already pending in an anti-terrorism court where the statements of the witnesses were being recorded after framing of charges. At this stage, an application is submitted for re-investigation of the matter.

Petitioners Rizwan Qadir Hashmi and Khurram Rafique (police officials) had challenged the formation of second JIT on the Model Town massacre.

They had contended that one judicial commission and a JIT had conducted investigation on the said incident so the formation of a second JIT was illegal owing to which the trial could be delayed.

They had added that the formation of the JIT for the second time showed the vested interests of the government.

They had prayed that the notification under which a JIT was constituted for second time was set aside, and directions were issued to stop its function until the final decision of this case.

At that time the then Justice Qasim Khan had suspended operation of the said notification.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11^th, 2022.