LAHORE: On the third anniversary of the Model Town tragedy, the chief of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), Dr Tahirul Qadri, demanded the Justice Baqar Najafi report be made public.

Speaking at a meeting of the party’s Central Core Committee on Friday, he said it was alarming that three years had passed, but the report had not been made public. He said if the Sharif brothers believed they were not involved in the incident, what was the justification for delaying release of the report?

He said the PAT held Sharifs responsible for the Model Town killings because families of the victims were refused registration of a first information report (FIR), an impartial joint investigation team was not formed, the Justice Baqar Najafi report not made public, suspected police officials gifted lucrative positions, bailing out of suspected policemen and their appointment on key positions, offering of huge money to victim families and favouring of suspects by the prosecution in the anti-terrorism court. He said barriers had been put up on court orders by police and launching an operation for their removal was itself a proof of a “big game plan”.

Qadri said the then army chief retired Gen Raheel Sharif had helped them lodge the FIR but he could not fulfil his promise of ensuring justice. He said the case was now in the court of God and the party would go to any extent to get Qisas. He said they would resort to rallies and protests if justice was not delivered to the Model Town victims.

A Quran khawani would be held for victims of the tragic incident today (Saturday) at ‘Shehr-i-Aitkaf’.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2017