Model Town case: SC orders Punjab govt to form new JIT

Model Town case: SC orders Punjab govt to form new JIT

Islamabad (Staff Report): The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday ordered the Punjab government to form a new Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe Model Town incident.

A larger bench of the SC headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Mian Saqib Nisar heard the suo moto case regarding formation of a new JIT in the case.

The SC wrapped up the petition and ordered the Punjab government to form a new JIT. The Punjab government assured the top court to implement the orders.

Talking to newsmen outside SC premises, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Chief Tahirul Qadri said that the supremacy of law had been upheld.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court issued notices to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders in Model Town tragedy case.

The top court sent notices to PML-N leaders including Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Hamza Shehbaz, Saad Rafique, Chaudhry Nisar, Pervez Rashid, Khawaja Asif, Abid Sher Ali and Rana Sanaullah.

During the last hearing, the SC also ordered the formation of a larger bench to establish a JIT to probe the incident.

Bisma Amjad, an aggrieved woman of the incident, had filed an application to the chief justice requesting to constitute a new JIT to probe into the killings of innocent workers of the PAT/Idara Minhajul Quran.

The court issued notices to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif and 137 others nominated in a case lodged by PAT regarding the 2014 Model Town incident.

On December 5, 2017, the Punjab government had made the report of the Model Town incident public on the order of the Lahore High Court.

Justice Baqir Najfi commission probed the incident and reported in its inquiry that police tried to cover up the facts regarding who gave orders to open fire on protesters.

At least 14 people were killed and over 100 injured during an ‘anti-encroachment’ operation outside the Model Town residence of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Chief Dr Tahirul Qadri on June 17, 2014.