LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Tuesday refused to try Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and eleven others, including some federal and provincial ministers, for killing of Pakistan Awami Tehreek workers during the 2014 Model Town incident. The court, however, summoned IGP Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera, former Lahore DCO Muhammad Usman and 123 others to face the trial.

The court passed the order on a private complaint filed by Idara Minhajul Quran (sister organisation of PAT).

Rejecting the plea to the extent of the prime minster and other ministers, ATC-II Judge Ch Muhammad Azam observed that the court could not summon a person in a private complaint unless direct/documentary evidence was furnished by plaintiff.

Summons IG, ex-DCO and 123 other officials

The 12 defendants whom the court refused to try include Prime Minster Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, MNA Hamza Shahbaz, Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan, Railways Minister Khwaja Saad Rafiq, Defence Minister Khwaja Asif, former information minister Pervez Rashid, State Minister Abid Sher Ali, Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan, then personal secretary to chief minister Syed Tauqir Shah, Home Minister Azam Suleman, and then Lahore Commissioner Rashid Mahmood Langrial.

The 125 officials summoned by the court as accused include then DCO Muhammad Usman, Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera, then DIG Operations Rana Abdul Jabbar, then Model Town AC Tariq Manzoor Chandio and TMO Nishtar Town Ali Abbas.

The court summoned the accused on Feb 17 with direction to submit surety bonds of Rs500,000 each. Minhajul Quran Director Administration Jawwad Hamid had filed the private complaint last year. The plaintiff presented 56 witnesses in support of the allegations.

After the decision, a large number of PAT workers including women staged a protest demonstration outside the court premises and chanted slogans against PML-N rulers.

Mr Hamid and PAT’s counsel Ishtiaq Chaudhry told media that the decision would be challenged before the Lahore High Court.

In a statement, PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri said main plea of the party to summon the rulers in the case was not accepted by the court and lower level officials had bee made scapegoat. He said the court summoned those who implemented the orders but ignored the authorities who issued the orders to kill innocent workers. “We would not accept sacrifice of goats,” Dr Qadri said.

At least 14 persons were killed and over 100 injured during the anti-encroachment operation outside the Dr Qadri residence on June 17, 2014.

Published in Dawn February 8th, 2017