Faizabad dharna: SC grants one more month to commission for completing probe

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has granted one more month to the Inquiry Commission to complete the probe in Faizabad dharna (sit-in).

A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, on Monday, heard the petitions of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Military Intelligence (MI), and Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of army, Ministry of Defence, the PTI, MQM-P, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), President AML Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, and President PML-Z Ijaz ul Haq regarding dharna.

The ECP submitted 11-volume report in a sealed bag. The Court had directed the Commission to file the implementation report within one month.

During the proceeding, the chief justice inquired from the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) how much time is required for filing of the Inquiry Commission’s report. AGP Mansoor Usman Awan replied that the Commission’s report will be filed by February 14.

The chief justice said that after examining the report they would pass an appropriate order. The Court on 15th November 2023 had given two months to the Commission to conclude its finding about the Faizabad dharna.

The government on November 15, last year, had constituted a three-member inquiry commission under the Inquiry Commission Act, 1956, to investigate and identify the persons responsible for Faizabad dharna and recommend legal action against them.

The Commission is headed by retired PSP officer Syed Akhtar Ali Shah and comprising former Inspector General of Police Tahir Alam Khan and Additional Secretary Ministry of Interior Khushhal Khan.

On the direction of the court, the government had included whether it was co-incidental or on the instruction of the same source to file and withdraw the review petitions.

The case has been adjourned for one month.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024