LAHORE, Aug 29: The fact-finding commission of Lahore High Court submitted its final report on the killing of four judges at the Sialkot jail to LHC Chief Justice Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry on Friday.

The 232-page report contains the observations and findings of the commission that has based its findings on statements of the jail staff and police officers and also quoted the relevant laws and regulations with regard to the receipt of goods at entry points of the jail and their subsequent movement.

As mentioned in a press statement issued by the LHC administration, the CJ would decide the appropriate line of action on recommendations of the commission, which is headed by LHC Registrar Shaikh Abdul Rashid and also includes LHC Additional Registrar Maqsoodul Hasan and District and Sessions Judges Riazul Hasan Alvi and Shaukat Ali Zaidi among its members.

Following submission of the final report, the CJ can either use his discretionary powers under Article 199 of the 1973 constitution to try those guilty of mishandling the police operation or get the accused tried by the Gujranwala anti-terrorism court, which is already hearing a case against the Sialkot jail staff and police officials.

According to LHC sources, the CJ would also be the final authority with regard to making the report public and deciding the exact time for doing so. As previously announced by the LHC administration, the final report would not be made public till the completion of police investigation regarding this incident and compilation of a report since the commission did not want to influence the departmental inquiry.

In its interim report, the commission held the SIalkot jail staff and certain other officials guilty of judges’ killing. Later, this report was considered in detail at a meeting of the CJ with the provincial chief minister, who assured the former that his government would take all the necessary steps to proceed against the accused in the light of the report.