LAHORE – An Anti-terrorism court on Thursday indicted 116 suspects,including officials of police and city administration in Model Town killingcase.
The development comes after Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar tooknotice of the delay in providing justice to the families of the victims.
Accused, including DIG and other officials of the government, have beenchargesheeted by the court.
In 2014, around 14 people were killed and 85 others injured during a clashbetween the police and the PAT workers in 2014 in Model Town over theremoval of barriers placed around the Minhaj-ul-Quran Secretariat.
Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Minhajul Quran had filed a privatecomplaint in the court seeking trial of then prime minister Nawaz Sharif,Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, federal ministers Saad Rafique andKhawaja Asif and others, accusing them of ‘killing’ innocent party workers.
However, the anti-terrorism court had, partially accepting the plea,excluded premier, chief minister, provincial law minister Rana Sanaullahand eight other MNAs from the trial.
The court had taken up the case against officials of the police and civiladministration.
PAT had staged many protests to get justice and later a judicial commissionwas also formed to probe the horrific incident. The report of thecommission was not made public by the government for three years, untilorders from the Lahore High Court in 2017.