Govt has power to order formation of commission on Sahiwal killings: LHC

The Lahore High Court (LHC) said on Monday that it no longer has the power to order the formation of a judicial commission to probe into the Sahiwal killings.

During the hearing today, the LHC told the petitioner's lawyer that the federal government now holds the jurisdiction to form a commission. When the petitioner's lawyer argued that the high court has ordered constitution of a commission in the Model Town case, the high court Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Shamim Ahmed replied that the rules have changed and now the court does not hold the power, local media reported.

The LHC also showed its displeasure to the head of the joint investigation team (JIT), when it learned that the team had not completed its report. The court has given the JIT time till 1 in the afternoon to submit its report regarding the Sahiwal killings.

Last month, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials had shot four people, including parents Khalil and Nabeela, their teenage daughter and neighbour Zeeshan, terming them as terrorists. The CTD claimed that they had signaled the car to stop and ignoring their signal, the occupants of the car started firing, which the CTD retaliated.

However, witnesses had said that the CTD officials had started firing at the vehicle of the family first.