Justice was delayed at the behest of the Sharif brothers: PAT

In their joint statement, Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, Fayyaz Warraich and Syed Altaf Hussain Gilani said that the matter of justice in the Model Town case was deliberately delayed at the behest of the Sharif brothers. They said that fugitive DIG Rana Abdul Jabbar, who played the role of Sultan Rahi on the day of massacre, was hiding in a hole like a rat now. They asked him to get out of the hole and become part of the ongoing trial at the anti-terrorism court. They said that the issuance of an arrest warrant of a DIG rank officer after he failed to appear in the anti-terrorism court reflects lawlessness and lack of discipline in the Punjab police. They said how one could expect the police officers to fulfill the constitutional responsibility of protecting life, honour and property of the masses when they are not ready to abide by the law themselves. They said that it has been a long time since DIG Rana Abdul Jabbar is fugitive, adding that it is regrettable that no senior police officer including IGP ever took notice of this. Such a person should not be part of the Department but in the jail.

The PAT leaders stated this while talking to the media men in the central secretariat. They said that it appears that the legal requirements for the speedy trial of the Model Town case will be met. They said that a full bench of the LHC has been formed on the order of the Chief Justice of Pakistan and it is hoped that the hearing on the pending petitions regarding the Model Town case will begin to be heard from April 19 and prompt decisions will be handed down so that the ongoing trial in the ATC could move on unimpeded.

Speaking on the occasion, Fayyaz Warraich said that the Sharif brothers who are mastermind and planners of the Model Town tragedy, used the government’s authority to delay the provision of justice in the Model Town case. He said that the hurdles were created at every stage of the case. He said that there is another Authority that listens to complaints and prayers of the aggrieved and reins in the oppressor and that is Allah Almighty. He said that it is the responsibility of IG Police to arrest the absconder officer and produce him before the anti-terrorism court so that the demands of justice in the Model Town case could be met. He said that all officers accused in the Model Town case should be made to step down till the conclusion of the case.

Chief Security Officer of the central secretariat Syed Altaf Hussain Gilani said on the occasion that he personally witnessed the scene of brutality of Punjab police on the ill-fated day of June 17. He said that one could pray for a country whose police takes people’s lives instead of protecting them. He said that the remarks passed by Justice Shaukat Siddiqi of Islamabad High Court about the conduct of the police officers are a matter of serious concern. The honorable judge held that narcotics are found from the rooms of police officers during the day and the girls during the night and that 90% of police officers are involved in the crimes of different kinds. He said that the people are really afraid that the force for which they are paying taxes through their nose has fallen so low morally, thinking where they will go for redressal of their grievances.