Model town incident: LHC adjourns proceedings on petitions objecting formation of second JIT

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court larger bench on Thursday adjourned the proceedings by Friday for further arguments while hearing the petitions against the formation of a second Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in the Model Town incident.

During the hearing, the seven-member bench asked the counsel of the petitioners about his arguments whether the JIT in question had been constituted in light of an order by the Supreme Court.

Upon which, the counsel of petitioners Azam Nazir Tarar reiterated his previous argument that there was no direct order by the SC for the formation of the JIT as the government itself had given an undertaking to constitute it. He added that there were other grounds as well to question the formation of the second JIT, including the absence of an approval by the cabinet.

However, He said the trial court was holding a day to day hearing on the complaint of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) but the new JIT halted the proceedings.

The bench observed that prima facie police investigation had never been independent against incumbent rulers. Barrister Ali Zafar, on behalf of an aggrieved woman, argued that the petitions were not maintainable.

The bench asked Zafar to continue his arguments on Friday. The seven-member bench is headed by Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti while Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, Justice Aalia Neelum, Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi, Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem, Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh are its members.