Punjab home dept forms new JIT to probe Model Town tragedy

LAHORE: The Home Department of Punjab on Thursday constituted a new joint investigation team (JIT) for probing 2014 killing of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers in clashes with police in Lahore's Model Town.

At least 14 people were killed and 100 others injured in police action against PAT workers in Lahore on June 17, 2014. The then Punjab government, at the behest of the Lahore High Court, made the report for the Model Town incident public on December 5, 2017.

The investigation team would be headed by Inspector General (IG) Motorways AD Khawaja, read a notification issued by Additional Chief Secretary Home Fazeel Asghar.

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Police tried to cover up who gave orders to shoot: Model Town inquiry report

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The JIT would have Lt Colonel Mohammad Attique-uz-Zaman from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Lt Colonel Irfan Mirza from Military Intelligence (MI).

Mohammad Ahmed Kamal, deputy director general of Intelligence Bureau (IB), and Qamar Raza, deputy inspector general (DIG) Police Headquarters Gilgit-Baltistan, would also be part of the investigation team.

The JIT would probe matters relating to the Model Town incident.

The notification said that an investigation team formed earlier had "conducted and finalised the investigation and submitted its report in the concerned court."

However, the aggrieved persons or complainants of the case did not join the aforementioned investigation, therefore, a new JIT was constituted to probe and finalise the investigation afresh, it said.

On December 5, 2018, the Supreme Court had ordered the Punjab government to form a new joint investigation team (JIT) in the Model Town case.

Model Town report

The report, drafted by Justice (retd) Baqir Najfi-led commission, had termed the 2014 tragedy as the "most unfortunate incident" in the country's history. It said that police tried to cover up the facts regarding who gave orders to open fire on protesters.

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The report added that no legal opinion was sought from the Punjab advocate general prior to the start of the operation.

The commission, in its report, stated that on the ground, the standoff continued the whole night, resulting in minor injuries to police constables as well as PAT workers.

The commission observed: "The level of cooperation in digging out the truth is that no police official from top to bottom, whether actively participated in the operation or not, did utter a single word about the person under whose command the police resorted to firing upon the PAT workers."

Further, in its conclusion, the commission said, "It is shocking to note that everyone has deliberately but unsuccessfully tried to cover each other from possible adverse legal effects."