Sabzazar shootout: CM’s acquittal appeal forwarded to CJ
‘Plea be fixed before the bench hearing similar appeals’.
LAHORE:
A division bench of the Lahore High Court on Thursday referred an appeal against the acquittal of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in the Sabzazar shootout case to the chief justice for its fixation before some other bench.
Justice Muhammad Anwarul Haq and Justice Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah observed that appeals against the acquittal of other accused were being heard by a bench headed by Justice Sheikh Ahmad Farooq. They said that this appeal should also be fixed before the same bench.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed had refused to hear the appeal on October 9, 2011.
The appeal was filed by Khurshid Khanum, mother of Waseem and Rauf who were killed in a police encounter. According to the appeal, five men had been killed in Sabzazar on April 4, 1998. An FIR had been registered on March 29, 2001 against 12 people, including Shahbaz Sharif.
On March 1, 2008, an Anti-Terrorism Court headed by Shabbir Hussain Chattha had acquitted Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif after complainant Saeeduddin and heirs of the deceased told the court that they had no objection to Shahbaz’s acquittal.
Applicant’s counsel Aftab Ahmad Bajwa submitted that Saeeduddin – the father of the three other men killed – had withdrawn charges against Shahbaz Sharif. Bajwa said Saeeduddin was now dead and his client had not pardoned the chief minister. He requested that the court set aside the acquittal order and issue directions that the chief minister be tried.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2012.
A division bench of the Lahore High Court on Thursday referred an appeal against the acquittal of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in the Sabzazar shootout case to the chief justice for its fixation before some other bench.
Justice Muhammad Anwarul Haq and Justice Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah observed that appeals against the acquittal of other accused were being heard by a bench headed by Justice Sheikh Ahmad Farooq. They said that this appeal should also be fixed before the same bench.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed had refused to hear the appeal on October 9, 2011.
The appeal was filed by Khurshid Khanum, mother of Waseem and Rauf who were killed in a police encounter. According to the appeal, five men had been killed in Sabzazar on April 4, 1998. An FIR had been registered on March 29, 2001 against 12 people, including Shahbaz Sharif.
On March 1, 2008, an Anti-Terrorism Court headed by Shabbir Hussain Chattha had acquitted Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif after complainant Saeeduddin and heirs of the deceased told the court that they had no objection to Shahbaz’s acquittal.
Applicant’s counsel Aftab Ahmad Bajwa submitted that Saeeduddin – the father of the three other men killed – had withdrawn charges against Shahbaz Sharif. Bajwa said Saeeduddin was now dead and his client had not pardoned the chief minister. He requested that the court set aside the acquittal order and issue directions that the chief minister be tried.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2012.