116 policemen involved in Model Town incident, suspended

LAHORE: In a major development in Model Town carnage probe, 116 policemen involved in the incident, have been relieved from their posts, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The suspended policemen included DSPs, Inspectors, In-charge investigation and other officials.

The policemen have been ordered to report to the Police Line.

Four SPs related to the incident were already removed from the field posting.

It is pertinent to mention here that an anti-terrorism court (ATC) Lahore recently indicted former Punjab police chief Mushtaq Sukhera in a case pertaining to the Model Town carnage.

The ex-IG Punjab pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the charges against him.

The Case Background

On June 17, 2014, atleast 14 people were killed and 100 others injured when the police opened fire to disperse protesting Pakistan Awami Tehreek workers during an anti-encroachment operation outside the residence of PAT chief Dr. Tahirul Qadri.

The one-man judicial commission formed to probe the Model Town incident held that the operation planned under the then Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah “could have easily been avoided” and that the “police officers actively participated in the massacre”.

“This tribunal has very carefully seen the CD of the first press conference of Chief Minister Punjab after the incident in which he did not specifically mention about his direction of disengagement. It has become crystal clear that order of disengagement was not passed at all, rather position taken by CM Punjab appears to be an afterthought defence,” says the report.

The commission maintained that it arrived at the conclusion after “putting all facts and circumstances in juxtapositions”.