Daily Times

LAHORE: A Lahore High Court (LHC) full bench comprising three judges was formed on Wednesday to hear pending cases regarding the 2014 Model Town tragedy.

The bench – formed on orders issued by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar last week – is headed by Justice Qasim Ali Khan and includes Justices Alia Neelum and Sardar Ahmed Naeem.The bench will wind up pending cases regarding the Model Town incident within a fortnight.

Last week, the CJP had taken suo motu notice of the delay in proceedings in the Model Town case after meeting a delegation of the victims’ families at the Supreme Court’s Lahore registry. He had also summoned record of the case and sought a report from the advocate general.

Separately, an anti-terrorism court in Lahore on Wednesday issued arrest warrants against former deputy inspector general (DIG) of police Rana Abdul Jabbar in the Model Town killing case.

The directives were issued after the police official failed to show up before the court. The ATC ordered the quarters concerned to present the top cop on Thursday(tomorrow).

On Friday last, the anti-terrorism court had indicted as many as 116 police officers, including Rana Abdul Jabbar, who had not appeared before the court. At least 14 people were killed while 100 others were left wounded in police action against Pakistan Awami Tehreek workers in Lahore’s Model Town area during an ‘anti-encroachment operation’ on June 17, 2014.

Published in Daily Times, April 19^th 2018.