LAHORE: A team of Pakistan Awami Tehrik lawyers faced delaying tactics by police and PML-N workers when they went to the Faisal Town police station here on Wednesday to seek registration of an FIR about June 17 Model Town incident. Fourteen supporters of the PAT had been killed and scores of others injured in the police action.

The team, led by Advocate Mansoorur Rehman Khan Afridi, went to the police station to ascertain whether any action had been taken on an application filed earlier for lodging the FIR and to submit a fresh application with a copy of the Lahore High Court’s order.

The LHC had upheld on Tuesday a lower court’s order for registration of a murder case against 21 accused, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and some senior police officials.

An exchange of hot words took place between PAT lawyers and some PML-N activists who had followed the former to foil their attempt to lodge the FIR.

The PAT’s Deputy Secretary Information, Mushtaq Ahmad, who accompanied the lawyers’ team, said they reached the police station at around 5pm only to find that the station house officer and the Moharrar were not present.

He said the four lawyers had to undergo an agonising wait till 10pm. Only a constable was there and the SHO failed to reach the police station despite several calls.

In the meantime, the PAT’s deputy secretary added, a group of PML-N activists, including traders’ leader Sohail Ayyub, came to the police station and interfered in the matter.

Activists of the Awami Tehreek also arrived there and an exchange of hot words took place between the two sides. But the situation did not take an ugly turn as the DSP of the area rushed to the police station with a contingent.

A police official told Dawn that the PAT’s legal team had been advised to submit the application and leave the police station to let police obtain legal opinion, but they insisted on staying there.

He claimed that police had not received any order from the Punjab government for avoiding registration of the FIR.

The official said policemen had been sent to the police station to prevent any untoward incident, adding that they had removed around 50 PML-N activists from there. But about 20 PAT activists remained there with the lawyers till late in the night.

Meanwhile, Railway Minister Khwaja Saad Rafique told a private TV channel that the government would take a decision about the FIR in the light of the LHC order by Thursday.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2014