Former Punjab IGP Mushtaq Sukhera, 115 others indicted in Model Town case

LAHORE: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday framed charges against Punjab former inspector general police (IGP) Mushtaq Sukhera on a private complaint filed by the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) in connection with the IGP’s alleged role in June 2014 Model Town massacre.

The complaint also seeks a case against other police officials as well as top leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) including former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab former chief minister Shehbaz Sharif as well as three bureaucrats for the police action in which 14 PAT workers died.

The ATC had earlier framed charges against 114 accused persons. At least 85 also got injured in the clashes that erupted between police and the PAT workers after the former started removing barriers outside the PAT secretariat at Lahore’s posh locality.

On Tuesday the ATC proceedings were held amid heightened security as the former IGP appeared before the court. In the earlier proceedings, Sukhera’s counsel had requested the court to adjourn proceedings for a week but the counsel’s plea was dismissed.

The former IGP refused to accept the charges after which the court indicted him.

The court expressed its dismay when a cell phone rang inside the court room. The PAT’s counsel said it was Sukhera’s phone – a claim that was followed by exchange of harsh words between lawyers of both the parties. Later the judge adjourned proceedings till Oct 10 (today) and summoned more witnesses.

On September 26, a full bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC), with a majority decision of two to one, dismissed two criminal revision appeals challenging decision of a trial court on the PAT private complaint relating to the incident.

The LHC judge Qasim Khan, who was heading the bench, dissented with the majority view and allowed appeal of PAT against non-summoning the PML-N leaders and bureaucrats by the ATC. Justice Aalia Neelum authored the majority judgment which was endorsed by Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem.

PAT had challenged the ATC’s decision not to summon the PML-N’s nine top leaders and three bureaucrats, nominated as accused. Former IGP Sukhera had also challenged the ATC decision to summon him. However, all three judges of the LHC bench dismissed appeal of former IGP.

The parliamentarians and bureaucrats who had not been summoned by the ATC include Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Khawaja Asif, Pervaiz Rashid, Abid Sher Ali, Hamza Shehbaz, Rana Sanaullah Khan, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, the then personal secretary to CM Tauqir Shah, former home secretary Azam Suleman and the then Lahore commissioner Rashid Mahmood Langrial.

Source: Express Tribune