LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court acquitted Commissioner Lahore Capt Muhammad Usman (retd) in the Model Town killing incident of 2014 who was at that time working as District Coordination Officer Lahore.

On June 17, 2014, at least 14 people were killed and 100 others injured when police opened fire to disperse protesting activists of Pakistan Awami Tehreek during an ‘anti-encroachment’ operation outside the residence of its chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri.

Presiding Judge Ejaz Ahmad Buttar ruled that there is no probability of the petitioner being convicted of the offences mentioned in the private complaint as there is no sufficient incriminating material on record which could enable this court to proceed further with the trial of the petitioner.

Usman had filed an application for his acquittal in the trial proceedings on a private complaint filed by Idara Minhajul Quran, a subsidiary of Pakistan Awami Party (PAT).

The allegation against Usman was that he attended a meeting in which the alleged conspiracy for launching an operation to remove barriers and hurdles from outside the residence of PAT Chief Dr Tahirul Qadri.

The judge observed that the fact of the alleged conspiracy and attendance of the petitioner has already been negated and not accepted by the trial court in its order of February 7, 2017.

He said there remained no allegation upon the petitioner as per the contents of the private complaint.

“I have gone through the contents of the private complaint, it has never been the assertion of the complainant in the private complaint,” the judge added.

The judge noted that the presence of the petitioner Usman is neither alleged by the complainant nor in his testimony.

“I have also gone through the statements of 19 injured/eye witnesses, they have also not alleged that the petitioner was present at the place of occurrence.

Not a single word has been uttered by them against the present petitioner in their depositions/examination chiefs,” the judge maintained.

A prosecutor opposed the acquittal application saying until and unless remaining prosecution evidence was recorded, order for the acquittal of the petitioner would not serve ends of justice.

The judge observed that this argument is not convincing as the whole cursory evidence which was produced by the complainant side and the same was recorded and discarded by then trial judge in 2017.

“In view of the discussion, the application in hand is accepted and petitioner Capt Muhammad Usman (retd) is acquitted from the charges,” the judge concluded the verdict.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022