Constitute new JIT to probe Model Town tragedy: SC
Supreme Court subsequently orders the Punjab government to form a new JIT to conduct a fresh investigation and directs that the statements of the remaining witnesses must be recorded
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (Sc)benchonwednesdayorderedthe Punjab government to reconstitute a new Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe the 2014 gory Model Town Lahore incident.
THE ive-member BENCH Constituted specially to debate a legal point comprising Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, and Justices Asif Saeed Khosa, Sheikh Azmat Saeed, Faisal Arab and Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, decided to hold a hearing to determine whether a new JIT could be formed to probe the Model Town case which is still pending judgment.
Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) CHIEF TAHIR-UL QADRI was Among those who presented their arguments on the matter in court. “My lawyers are present for legal questions. I will only present facts before the court,” he told the bench.
The chief justice said that no case is political for the court and ordered the lawyer standing behind the PAT chief to sit down. Justice Khosa said that all statements would have to be recorded again.
“The trial has now come back to zero,” QADRI SAID. “AFTER Constitution of the present bench, the victims were hopeful about getting justice.”
The trial of the accused persons Is ongoing In THE Anti-terrorism Court (ATC), he said, adding that there is a trial on both the cases together. “What FIR was the JIT formed on the basis of?” Justice Khosa asked, to which QADRI responded that THE police irst formed the JIT on their own FIR. “Later it was formed on our FIR. The JUDICIAL Commission GAVE Its indings on THE matter too,” QADRI SAID.
After the court heard his arguments, it asked the Punjab Advocate General Ahmed Awais what the provincial government’s stance on the matter was.
Awais responded that the Punjab government had no objections to the reconstitution of a JIT, adding: “You may go and constitute the JIT.”
The court subsequently ordered the Punjab government to form a new JIT to conduct a fresh investigation, and directed that the statements of the remaining witnesses must be recorded.
“The Punjab government has adopted the clear stance that it has agreed to form a new JIT,” the court said, adding that it the probe team would be formed under Section 19 of THE Anti-terrorism ACT (ATA).