LHC seeks court record in fake encounter case

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court division bench on Thursday sought complete record of trial court on an appeal challenging acquittal of former chief minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif in Sabzazar fake police encounter case.

Khurshid Khanum, mother of two brothers Waseem and Rauf killed in the encounter, had filed the appeal in 2009. The woman through her counsel Aftab Ahmad Bajwa pleaded that another complainant in the case had forgiven Shahbaz Sharif that led to his acquittal in the case.

She said her husband had not withdrawn the case. However, she said her husband later passed away and she did not give up pursuing the case. The appellant said the trial court could not acquit the former chief minister of the charges relying on the statement of one party involved in the case.

She asked the court to set aside the former chief minister’s acquittal order and issue directions to hold his trial afresh. During the Thursday’s hearing, the bench comprising Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin and Justice Chaudhry Mushtaq Ahmad observed that the record of the trial court had not been furnished by the prosecution side despite an order issued years ago. The bench directed the appellant counsel to submit the trial court record by January 27, 2019.