SC admits petition seeking new JIT to probe Model Town incident

LAHORE: The Supreme Court on Saturday admitted a petition for hearing seeking formation of the new joint investigation team to probe Model Town incident in which 14 people had lost their lives in 2014, ARY News reported.

The two-member bench, chaired by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, will hear the petition on November 19.

The apex court had taken notice of the plea of Bisma Amjad, the daughter of Tanzila Amjad who was among those martyred in the Model Town firing incident, on October 6 urging formation of new investigation team to probe the carnage.

The court, while accepting the petition, issued notices to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former chief minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif in the case, as they have been made respondents by the petitioner.

The notices were also served to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders Rana Sanaullah, Hamza Shehbaz, Daniyal Aziz, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Khawaja Asif, Abid Sher Ali and Pervez Rasheed. The notice was also sent to other people nominated in the plea.

The police assault outside the residence of Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri killed 14 people including women and injured around 100 on June 17, 2014.

The Lahore High Court on September 26 had rejected a petition by Minhajul Quran seeking to nominate Sharif brothers and others as accused in the Model Town incident case.

A three-judge bench had given a majority verdict, rejecting the plea to include Nawaz Sharif, his brother Shehbaz Sharif, former law minister Rana Sanaullah and half a dozen others in the list of the accused nominated in the Model Town case.

Later on Oct 20, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) approached the Supreme Court, challenging the Lahore High Court’s verdict regarding rejection of nomination of Sharif brothers in the Model Town case investigation.