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Govt appeal in Model Town case to be dismissed if its lawyer fails to appear: LHC

By our correspondents
October 20, 2017

LAHORE :The Lahore High Court full bench on Thursday directed the Punjab government’s lawyer to ensure his presence on the next date of hearing to argue on the appeal challenging decision of a single bench regarding publication of Model Town inquiry report.

The bench headed by Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh took up the matter and warned that appeal would be dismissed for non-prosecution if the government’s lawyer failed to appear on the next date of hearing which has been fixed as October 24.

During the proceedings, the Punjab government’s lawyer Khawaja Haris could not appear before the court for arguments on the appeal. However, the lawyers who were representing Pakistan Awami Tehreek and the victim families expressed serious concern over his non-appearance before the full bench. They said the government was intentionally wasting the time of the court by not appearing in the court. Advocate Khawaja Ahmad Tariq and Advocate Ishtiaq had been representing the victim families of the Model Town incident.

Khawaja Ahmad Tariq alleged that the efforts were being made for last three months to delay the hearing on the appeal. The arguments which could have been concluded within two hours had been given six days, he said. He said he had no objection who would come to argue on behalf of the government but it should be argued.

On it, the bench asked the law officer present in the courtroom who replied that Khawaja Haris would appear on next Tuesday. The court accepted the plea and adjourned the proceedings until October 24. On September 21, a single bench comprising Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi ordered the Punjab government to issue Model Town inquiry report to the victims of the incident and held that victims had the right to have access to the information that who were actually the wrong-doers of the incident in which 14 people died and 85 others got injured when clash erupted between police and workers of Pakistan Awami Tehreek in Model Town in June, 2014.