The judicial tribunal investigating the Model Town incident on Wednesday rejected a request to stop the media from covering the proceedings of the tribunal.
Advocate Shahid Naseem Gondal had moved an application, requesting the court to pass a gag order to stop the print and electronic media from reporting the proceedings of the tribunal. He said the media had been reporting the comments made by Justice Ali Baqar Najfi and that could influence the investigation by the Joint Investigation Team.
Justice Najfi dismissed the request and remarked that the media was independent and there was no need to impose restrictions.
“The media and the judiciary are independent and I am proud of this fact,” Justice Najfi said.
Abdullah Malik, a civil society member, appeared before the tribunal on Wednesday and told the judge that his car had been stolen from the court premises while he was attending the tribunal’s last hearing. “This has been done only because I am appearing before the tribunal,” he said. Malik said the government would be responsible if he was harmed in anyway in future.
The tribunal summoned Additional IG Altaf Hussain and asked him to discuss the incident with the police inspector general.
Advocate Aftab Bajwa told the tribunal that SHO Rizwan Qadar Hashmi, the complainant in the FIR registered into the Model Town incident, had claimed to have witnessed the whole incident.
“He cannot be an eye-witness. Hospital record shows that he was admitted there when the protesters were killed. The tribunal should verify the SHO’s claims,” Bajwa said. The tribunal also handed the phone call data of top government officials to the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) for analysis.
The mobile phone data of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, former law minister Rana Sanaullah, former principal secretary to chief minister Dr Tauqeer Shah and 15 other officials was obtained from three cellular companies. Asad Ali Khan, the ISI deputy director, and received the data from the tribunal.
Justice Najfi directed the official to complete the analysis within 48 hours.
On Khan’s request, the court ordered the cellular companies’ representatives to provide him the data in digital format.
Another lawyer requested the tribunal to obtain phone records of Dr Tahirul Qadri, his sons and other leaders of the Pakistan Awami Tehrik.
Justice Najfi said there was no need to do so at this stage.
He then adjourned the hearing until Friday.
Govt given final chance to submit reply
Lahore High Court on Wednesday gave the Punjab government a final chance to submit its reply on a petition challenging the one-judge Model Town inquiry tribunal.
Justice Abdul Sattar Asghar expressed dismay when an assistant advocate general told the court he needed more time to submit the government’s reply.
The judge remarked that it was the third time the government had sought more time.
The judge told the law officer to submit the government’s reply by July 18.
Advocate Aftab Ahmad Bajwa had filed the petition saying constitution of tribunals comprising judges of superior courts lowered the dignity of the judiciary. He said in the past, several judicial commissions were constituted but their recommendations were never implemented. The petitioner said the government asked judicial authorities to constitute commissions and inquiry tribunals and used them to shield their mistakes.
He requested the court to restrain the inquiry tribunal from proceeding with the Model Town violence case.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 17th, 2014.
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