PAT protests outside Civil Secretariat, demands release of Model Town report

LAHORE: Local leaders and activists of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) on Friday protested outside the Punjab Civil Secretariat after failing to receive a copy of the Justice Baqar Najafi judicial commission report on the Model Town incident.

Police closed the gates of the civil secretariat in view of security after the arrival of PAT activists on site, in response to which the party activists protested and raised anti-government slogans.

According to reports, the Punjab home secretary was not present at his office. 

Speaking to the media, PAT leader Khurram Nawaz Gandapur said with Lahore High Court’s decision, the home secretary is bound to handover the judicial commission report and in case he doesn’t, the party will file a contempt of court case against him.

Commuters faced severe difficulty at Mall Road because of the traffic jam due to PAT’s protest. 

The protesters are still present at the venue and have refused to disperse until they are handed over the report. 

LHC decision on Model Town report 

The Lahore High Court on Thursday ordered the Punjab government to make public the judicial inquiry report into the Model Town killings.

The order was read out by Justice Mazahir Ali Akbar Naqvi while hearing a petition by the families of those injured in the 2014 clashes with police in Lahore to make the inquiry report public.

Later, sources said the government decided to file an intra-court appeal as the judicial report contains matters of national importance that cannot be disclosed at the moment.

According to the government’s legal officials, who requested anonymity, the appeal will be filed once the detailed verdict of today’s order is handed out.

Earlier, it was reported that a full bench of court will hear all the petitions on the Model Town tragedy on September 25.

A three-member bench of LHC headed by interim Chief Justice Yawar Ali will hear the different cases demanding the Model Town judicial report to be made public.

The petitions have been filed by the families of victims killed in Model Town during an ‘anti-encroachment’ operation conducted by police against the PAT headquarters. At least 14 people were killed and 100 others injured in the police action.