Model Town report: LHC adjourns Punjab govt’s appeal till 21st

LAHORE: A three-member bench of the Lahore High Court on Thursday adjourned an Intra-Court Appeal filed by the Punjab government against the LHC single bench order for making the Model Town inquiry report public till November 21.
Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh headed the full bench with Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmad. During the hearing, counsel of respondents -- heirs of the Model Town incident victims -- Barrister Ali Zafar continued his arguments and pleaded with the bench to set aside the government appeal and issue directions for release of the report. It is pertinent to mention that Punjab government’s counsel Khawaja Haris had already completed his arguments.
He submitted that the respondents (heirs of the Model Town incident victims) did notapproach the single bench with clean hands as they did not move application for provision of Model Town inquiry report to the Authority concerned first as an alternate remedy.
He said in their petition, the heirs also failed to point out that the identical petitions were being heard by a full bench and claimed that it was first petition on the subject. He questioned how a single bench could decide a petition when identical petitions were being heard by a full bench.
He also questioned single bench orders by saying that no notice under Article 27-A was issued to the advocate general for assistance whereas it was a mandatory step for hearing such matter.
A single bench comprising Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi had on September 21 ordered the Punjab home secretary to make the Model Town report public while allowing a petition filed by heirs of Model Town incident victims.