Model Town violence: ATC indicts 41 PAT workers, 5 policemen

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday framed charges against 46 people, including five policemen, in the June, 2014 Model Town violence case.

The court indicted 41 Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers and five policemen including former Faisal Town SHO Amir Saleem, ASI Azhar Mahmood and constable Naveed.

The court has summoned prosecution witnesses to appear on October 28.

Police had submitted a challan in the case in July, 2014. The court has thus indicted suspects 15 months after the submission of challan.

Police had also nominated PAT leaders Raheeq Abbasi and Khurram Nawaz Gandapur. However, the court did not frame charges against them. They were earlier declared proclaimed offenders.

Police said some of the PAT workers had opened fire on police, forcing the latter to retaliate. The then Faisal Town SHO has also been nominated in the case.

Earlier, on February 25, 2015, ATC judge Rai Ayub Khan Marth had declared PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri and his two sons Hassan Mohiyuddin and Hussain Mohiyuddin proclaimed offenders in a case registered against them on charges of inciting violence against the state and attacking policemen. The court had also declared PAT president Raheeq Abbasi, general secretary Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, Fayyaz and Shabbir Fayyaz as proclaimed offenders.

The PAT leaders and workers were nominated in three FIRs - 661, 662 and 663/14 - registered with Faisal Town police in connection with the fatal violence at Model Town under Sections 302/34, 324, 353, 148,149, 290, 291 of Pakistan Penal Code and 7-Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

A local court had later also ordered police to register a case against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and 19 others on charges of murdering 14 people at the Minhajul Quran secretariat in Model Town.

The PAT application to police had sought the registration of a murder case against the PM, the Punjab CM, the interior minister, MNA Hamza Shahbaz, Provincial Minister Rana Sanaullah, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali, Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Rana Abdul Jabbar, Model Town Superintendent Tariq Aziz, Headquarters Superintendent Maroof Safdar Wahla, Civil Lines Superintendent Umar Cheema, the security superintendent, the Model Town assistant commissioner, a town municipal officer, Kahna SHO Inspector Ishtiaq and Nishtar Town SHO Ahmad Majeed Usman.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2015.