LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Tuesday indicted former inspector general of police Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera in a private complaint filed by Idara Minhajul Quran/Pakistan Awami Tehreek for his trial on charges of killing its workers during 2014 Model Town incident.

Mr Sukhera who was present in court denied the charges against him and decided to contest the trial. The court adjourned hearing for a day and summoned prosecution witnesses.

During April this year, the court had also indicted 116 others including officials of police and district administration after they pleaded not guilty in the same case.

The court had in 2017 partially admitted the private complaint against 125 officials nominated as accused while rejected it to the extent of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif and 10 others including federal/ provincial ministers.

A Lahore High Court full bench dismissed a plea of PAT against non-summoning of the 12 political figures and bureaucrats by the trial court. However, the bench had dismissed a petition by Mr Sukhera against his summoning by the trial court.

The politicians and bureaucrats include former premier Sharif, former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, now Punjab opposition leader Hamza Shahbaz, former law minister Rana Sanaullah Khan, former railways minister Khwaja Saad Rafiq, former foreign minister Khwaja Asif, former information minister Pervez Rashid, former state minister Abid Sher Ali, former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, then personal secretary to chief minister Syed Tauqir Shah, then home secretary Azam Suleman, and then Lahore Commissioner Rashid Mahmood Langrial.

At least 14 persons were killed and more than 100 injured during the anti-encroachment operation outside the Model Town residence of PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri on June 17, 2014.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2018