An antiterrorism court here Tuesday turned down a plea of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) to try Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif and federal/provincial ministers under murder charges of its workers. The court however allowed trial of IGP Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera, then DCO Muhammad Usman and 123 other police officials and summoned the accused persons on February 17 with direction to submit surety bonds of Rs 500,000 each.
The court allowing a private complaint of the PAT/Idara Minhajul Quran partially, observed that it could not try anyone in private complaint unless cogent evidence was provided to it. The court rejected the complaint to the effect of PM Nawaz Sharif, Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif, MNA Hamza Shahbaz, Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan, Railways Minister Khwaja Saad Rafiq, Defence Minister Khwaja Asif, former information minister Pervez Rashid, State Minister Abid Sher Ali, Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan, then personal secretary to chief minister Syed Tauqir Shah, Home Minister Azam Suleman, and then Lahore Commissioner Rashid Mahmood Langrial.
The 125 officials who had been summoned by the court as accused include then DCO Lahore Muhammad Usman, IGP Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera, then DIG Operations Rana Abdul Jabbar, then Assistant Commissioner Model Town Tariq Manzoor Chandio and TMO Nishtar Town Ali Abbas.
Minhajul Quran Director Administration Jawwad Hamid had filed the complaint with a request to bring PM Nawaz Sharif, CM Shahbaz Sharif and others to trial for carrying out planned killings of its workers during an 'anti-encroachment' operation outside the residence of Dr Tahirul Qadri in Model Town.
The plaintiff alleged that the killings of Minhajul Quran and Pakistan Awami Tehreek's innocent workers were carried out at the behest of the prime minister and chief minister in connivance with police and city administration.At least 14 persons were killed and over 100 injured during the anti-encroachment operation outside the Dr Qadri residence on June 17,2014.
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