LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Chief Justice constituted a seven-judge larger bench who will proceed with a matter relating to the constitution of second Joint investigation team (JIT) to hold a fresh probe into 2014 Model Town killing incident on February 15.

Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti will head the bench with Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, Justice Aalia Neelum, Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi, Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, Justice Sardar Ahmed Naeem and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh.

Previously, a full bench comprising three-judges held hearing in the matter during February last.

Khurram Rafiq and other police officials facing trial in the Model Town case had challenged the legitimacy of the second JIT. The full bench had suspended the JIT through an interim order on March 22, 2019.

On June 17, 2014, at least 14 people were killed and 100 others injured when police opened fire to disperse protesting activists of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) during an ‘anti-encroachment’ operation outside the residence of its chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri.

The PAT had filed a private complaint before an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) against then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, then Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif and almost all federal and provincial cabinet of PML-N besides officials of police and district administration accusing them of killing its workers.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022