Shahbaz says was kept in dark about Model Town affair

*Punjab advocate general files Shahbaz’s affidavit as Model Town enquiry comes to an end

Curtain falls on the inquiry of the Model Town tragedy, being conducted by the judicial tribunal, after the statement of Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shahbaz Sharif was submitted on Saturday.

Justice Ali Baqar resumed the hearing, during which Punjab Advocate General Hanif Khatana submitted the chief minister’s affidavit regarding the Model Town tragedy in the judicial tribunal investigating the clashes, which the court ordered to be read out.

The affidavit said that the CM was at the Punjab Governor House to attend the oath-taking ceremony of the Lahore High Court’s chief justice, where from he got to know via television about the clashes between the police and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers outside the Minhajul Quran International (MQI) Secretariat.

The CM claimed in his affidavit that he ordered the police to retreat from the MQI Secretariat to prevent any further clashes or worsened law and order situation. He later set out for Model town, where he had to meet a foreign delegation.

During the meeting with the delegation, he came to know about the fact that bullets were fired outside the MQI Secretariat, consequently killing innocent people over there, at which he ordered to provide best facilities to the deceased and the injured of the incident, the statement said.

The chief minister further stated that due to the killings of innocent people, he immediately suspended the Lahore CCPO, Operations DIG and Model Town SP.

Shahbaz said a joint inquiry team (JIT) was constituted after the event and a tribunal comprising of a high court judge was also made, in order to ensure transparent investigations of the Model Town Incident.

PHONE RECORDS INCORRECT:

However, phone records that were submitted earlier to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) have proved to be incorrect — as the data in question was that of June 16 and 17, but the ISI was provided with data from July 16 and 17.