The Punjab government, finally, submitted the Justice Baqir Naqvi Model Town Inquiry report to full bench of Lahore High Court that will review the report in-camera.
According to details three-member LHC bench headed by Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh hear the Punjab government’s intra court petition.
However, court has expressed angered over not submission of Model Town judicial inquiry report and ordered the home secretary to produce the report immediately in his chamber.
Punjab government told the court that in the absence of the its lawyer Khawaja Haris report could not be submitted, however Justice Abid Aziz remarked that submission of report has no link with the presence of Punjab government’s counsel.
Later, on court’s strict orders the report has been submitted after 3pm in the court.During the proceeding the lawyer of the model town affectees, Khawaja Tariq and Azhar Saddique told the court that it was vital to make public the judicial report as it carried the reasons of model town tragedy.
They argued that the report will help to highlight the criminal and if report will not make public it cause the barrier in the provision of justice.
The Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) lawyer has rejected the Punjab government that report was not a public document and claimed it was a public document.
The hearing of the case adjourned for November 16.
On November 6, The Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered the Punjab government to submit the judicial inquiry report into the 2014 Model Town incident,which left what the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) said 14 workers dead, and arguments why the report have been kept secret.
A full-member bench of the LHC headed by Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh was hearing the government’s petition against making the report public.
The government’s counsel, Khawaja Harris, contended that the inquiry report was not part of judicial records and could not be used an evidence.
