Model Town tragedy: SC forms larger bench to establish new JIT

LAHORE: The Supreme Court on Monday ordered formation of a larger bench to establish a new Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe the the Model Town tragedy.

Heading a two-judge bench, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar chaired the proceedings at the Lahore Registry today. The petitioner has sought formation of a new investigation panel to probe the 2014 Model Town carnage.

The SC on Saturday had issued notices to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, opposition leader in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif and 137 others to appear before the court.

Urging the court to form a new JIT, Chief of Pakistan Awami Tehreek, Dr Tahirul Qadri said, "Zero progress has been made in our case since former Punjab IG Mushtaq Sukhera was indicted on October 09."

Shahbaz Sharif lawyer, Azam Tarar, sought more time from the court to prepare his arguments.

Bisma Amjad, the daughter of Ms Tanzila Amjad, who was killed on June 17, 2014 in Model Town police action, had submitted an application to the chief justice, seeking formation of a new JIT to probe the killing of innocent workers of PAT and Idara Minhajul Quran in 2014.

The other parliamentarians and bureaucrats nominated as accused by PAT include Punjab opposition leader Hamza Shahbaz, former law minister Rana Sanaullah Khan, former railways minister Khwaja Saad Rafiq, former defence minister Khwaja Asif, former information minister Pervaiz Rashid, former state minister Abid Sher Ali, former interior minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan, then personal secretary to chief minister Syed Tauqir Shah, former home minister Azam Suleman and then Lahore commissioner Rashid Mahmood Langrial.

The accused police officers include former IGP Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera, former DIG Operations Lahore Rana Abdul Jabbar and then SP Security Salman Ali Khan.

On Sept 26 last, a three-judge bench of the Lahore High Court, with a majority decision by 2 to 1, had dismissed two criminal revision appeals challenging a trial court’s decision on a private complaint by PAT to the extent of non-summoning of 12 accused including PML-N leaders and bureaucrats.

At least 14 persons were killed and over 100 injured during an ‘anti-encroachment’ operation outside the Model Town residence of PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri on June 17, 2014. Jawad Hamid of PAT had filed the private complaint before the trial court.