LAHORE - Despite the court orders, Lahore police are unwilling to register a fresh FIR (First Information Report) about the Model Town incident on the application of Minhaj-ul-Quran management.
A delegation of PAT workers led by senior lawyers visited the Faisal Town police station on Monday to get the case registered against the PML-N leadership and others but the SHO was not present in his office.
PAT workers said that they believe the SHO had escaped from the office before they reached the police station. They also alleged that the police were using delaying tactics to deprive the complainant of their fundamental rights.
Earlier, an additional district and sessions’ judge ordered the police to register criminal case against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, former Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, and some other big guns of the federal and provincial hierarchy.
A group of lawyers led-by advocate Mansoor-ur-Rehman Afridi reached the Faisal Town police station along with the court orders. They remained present at the police station for at least two hours but the SHO did not appear. Later, they went to the office of the duty-officer and filed the fresh application. After receiving application, the duty officer told the lawyers that the application would be sent to the concerned officers to get legal opinion about the matter.
Senior police officers are reluctant to say anything on this subject. However, according to legal experts, the Minhaj-ul-Quran management could again approach the court to move contempt of court petition against the government.
Judge Raja Muhammad Ajmal Khan had passed the order on Saturday on the application filed by Minhaj-ul-Quran Secretariat under sections 22-A, 22-B seeking registration of criminal case against the top administrators and key members of ruling party.
Allegedly, the Punjab Police had killed 14 people and wounded around 90 others in Model Town on June 17.
The director administration at Minhaj-ul-Quran Secretariat had filed the petition submitting that PM Nawaz, Punjab CM Shabaz, former law minister Rana Sanaullah, former secretary to CM Tauqeer Shah, Hamza Shahbaz, Punjab IGP Mushtaq Sukhera, DIG (operations) Rana Abdul Jabbar, SP Model Town Tariq Aziz, SP Security Salman, SP Maroof Safdar Wahla, Khana SHO Inspector Ishtiaq, Nishtar Town SHO Majeed Usman and other officials were directly or indirectly involved in the killings.