Former DCO acquitted in Model Town massacre case

An anti-terrorism court on Tuesday acquitted former Lahore Division district coordination officer Capt (retd) Muhammad Usman in the Model Town massacre case.

Fourteen people, including men and women, were killed and more than 100 injured during the anti-encroachment operation outside the Model Town residence of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri on June 17, 2014.

During the proceedings, the court observed that the plaintiff, PAT, could not establish allegation against Capt (retd) Muhammad Usman.

The accused had moved an acquittal application before the court.

Judge Ejaz Ahmad Buttar in his judgment stated that the role of the accused in the alleged conspiracy could not be established. The court concluded that there was no probability of the conviction of the accused in the case and acquitted him.

Earlier, the court had indicted more than 120 persons in the case, including 116 police officials, on a private complaint filed by Idara Minhajul Quran for seeking their trial on the charges of killing its workers in the 2014 Model Town incident.

The court had in 2017 partially admitted the complaint against 125 officials of the police and district government while rejecting it to the extent of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the then Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and 10 others, including federal and provincial ministers.

The 12 political leaders against whom the ATC had rejected the complaint were Nawaz, Shehbaz, Hamza Shehbaz, the then Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, former railways minister Khwaja Saad Rafique, ex-foreign minister Khawaja Asif, former information minister Pervaiz Rashid, ex-state minister Abid Sher Ali, former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, the then Personal Secretary to Chief Minister Syed Tauqir Shah, ex-home minister Azam Suleman and the then Lahore Commissioner Rashid Mahmood Langrial.