A division bench of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday admitted a petition for regular hearing challenging acquittal of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Sabzazar police fake encounter case. Khurshid Khanum filed this petition whose two sons Wasim and Rauf were killed in a police encounter.
The bench also condoned the delay in filing of the appeal when petitioner stated that her husband got seriously ill after their sons were murdered. She said the serious illness and subsequent death of her husband restrained her from approaching the court in time.
On another appeal against the acquittal of police officials in the same case, the bench summoned record of the trial court (Anti-Terrorism Court) for the next hearing. Khurshid Bibi through her counsel pleaded that another complainant in the case had withdrawn charges against Shahbaz Sharif but her husband had not withdrawn the case.
She said trial court could not acquit the chief minister from the charges relying on the statement of only one party involved in the case. She therefore prayed to the court to set aside the chief minister's acquittal order and issue directions to hold his trial. On April 4, 1998 five young men were killed in a police encounter in Sabzazar. The FIR was registered against 12 persons including Mian Shahbaz Sharif on March 29, 2001.