Taseer urges LHC suo motu notice against Punjab govt

Taseer again denies the allegations linking him and federal govt to plot to kill Justice Khawaja.

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer has again vehemently denied the allegations linking him and the federal government to the alleged plot to kill Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif.

He urged the LHC to take suo motu notice against the Punjab government following the release of an article in The Express Tribune, which said that not a single shred of evidence or credible statement could be obtained by the FIA.

He said the murder plot was a conspiracy that was being used for political gain. He said the FIA report had been called bogus because Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had ordered exemplary witnesses not to give evidence.

Taseer explained that he had written a letter to the LHC chief justice and hoped that through a suo motu notice his name would be cleared and action taken against the architects of this work.

He said that he had asked the chief justice to take a suo motu notice relating to the allegations of torture and coercion against Sub-Inspector Shakeel Ahmad, the non-compliance of notices to appear before the enquiry officer. He also asked the CJ to find out who had been responsible for the leaking of the  report from the Punjab CM’s Secretariat.

He explained that in view of the nature of allegations the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had ordered a special inquiry and the Prime Minister had appointed a Judicial Commission to investigate the case.

He said that in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) report the Punjab government had not cooperated with the enquiry officer.

Further, he said, Rauf Klasra’s report published in The Express Tribune, said that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had concluded that the special branch report was “unverifiable”.

Taseer said that it was yet to be ascertained whether the ‘Source Report’ was an official document because the chief minister secretariat had not provided any documentary evidence.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2010.