Model Town massacre: Court gives PAT last chance for arguments against suspects’ plea

Model Town massacre: Court gives PAT last chance for arguments against suspects’ plea

Staff Reporter
June 18, 2022

Model Town massacre: Court gives PAT last chance for arguments against suspects’ plea

LAHORE: An antiterrorism court on Saturday allowed a last opportunity to the counsel of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) for arguments against acquittal application of five suspects including police officials in 2014 Model Town killing incident.

Presiding Judge Ijaz Ahmad Buttar also warned the PAT’s counsel against spreading misconceptions against the court in the media.

During the previous hearing, the judge had asked Advocate Makhdoom Majeed Hussain, the PAT`s counsel, to conclude his arguments by Saturday. However, the counsel on Saturday sought a short adjournment.

Giving a last opportunity to the counsel, the judge adjourned the hearing till June 21.

Former IGP Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera, former DIG Operations Rana Abdul Jabbar, former SP Model Town Tariq Aziz, former town municipal officer (Nishtar Town) Ali Abbas and DSP Mian Shafqat Ali are nominated in the case as suspects.

The suspects/officials through a counsel argued that they could not be convicted for acts done on official duty. They asked the court to acquit them of the charges as there was no possibility of their conviction in the trial.

Idara Minhajul Quran, a subsidiary of the PAT had filed a private complaint before the ATC against the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif, then chief minister Shahbaz Sharif and almost all federal and provincial cabinet of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), besides officials of police and district administration accusing them of killing its workers.

However, the trial court in its 2017 order dismissed the private complaint to the extent of the political personalities.

In this case, the court during April last acquitted Lahore Commissioner retired Capt Muhammad Usman by allowing his acquittal application.

Usman, who at the time of the incident was posted as district coordination officer, filed the acquittal application under section 265-K of Cr.P.C before the court praying his acquittal in the trial.

Ten people were killed and around 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.

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