Still unready: Police requests more time to submit Minhaj attack report

Court heard a petition against CM, law minister, and top police officers.

LAHORE:

A district and sessions court on Friday gave the Faisal Town police more time to submit a report on the Model Town incident. The court was hearing a petition seeking criminal cases against the Punjab chief minister, law minister and top police officials.

The Faisal Town Police sought more time to submit the report, stating that 29 of their police officers were being treated in various hospitals.

The court had earlier ordered the Faisal Town police to submit a reply over the petition.

Petitioner Advocate Nauman Attique stated that the Punjab police had attacked members of the Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) on directions from the chief minister and the law minister. He also claimed that former city police officer Shafique Ahmed Gujar, former operations deputy inspector general Rana Abdul Jabbar, Cantonment SP Malik Awais and Model Town SP Tariq Aziz were also involved in the incident. The petitioner said that police had shot at many innocent people and injured them.

On Friday, Sub Inspector Sanaullah appeared on behalf of the Faisal Town SHO and requested the court to grant them more time, claiming that police officials were busy in maintaining law and order. “29 of our police officials are admitted for treatment in various hospitals after they received injures in the Model Town incident,” he said.

The court then ordered the police to submit a report at the next hearing on June 23.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2014.