LAHORE: A full bench of the Lahore High Court Thursday directed the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) to submit record and reasons which according to them were more than enough for an anti-terrorism court (ATC) to summon former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and several members of federal and Punjab cabinets in a private complaint seeking their trial in the 2014 Model Town incident. Bench comprising Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan, Justice Aalia Neelum and Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem directed the PAT’s counsel to come up with the record on Friday(today). During the proceedings on PAT appeal, appellate counsel Azhar Siddique said that the ATC seized with the private complaint had not summoned 12 parliamentarians of ruling party who were nominated as accused by the complainant. He said that the trial court had just summoned 125 officials of the district government. He urged the bench to set aside the decision of the trial court and admit the complaint against all political leaders as well. The bench asked as to what was that the record/evidence against those political leaders which the trial court ignored? The counsel replied that the complainant was unable to present the record before the trial court because it was collected later. The bench asked how could it review new evidence at this stage. The bench then directed the counsel to submit the complete record previously presented before the trial court. Prosecutor General Ehtesham Qadir during his arguments said that the PAT appeal was not maintainable at this stage of the proceedings. He said that all the accused persons had been indicted by the trial court on the private complaint and the statements of the witnesses had also been recorded before the trial court. Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had taken suo motu notice of the delay in proceedings in the cases related to the Model Town incident and directed the high court to decide all appealswithin two weeks. Published in Daily Times, April 20th 2018.