Tragedy of Model Town Lahore

SHUJAAT HUSSAIN 

On June 16, 2014, hundreds of police officials laid the siege of central secretariat of MQI and the residence of PAT chief Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri. The police launched this operation suddenly without any prior notice presumably in the name of removing security barriers. The police operation was continued for 15 hours, in which 14 innocent members of Minha-Jul-Quran were killed 90 others were injured in direct police firing. After the long procrastination judicial commission was formed to find out main accused of tragedy. The commission comprising Justice Baqir Ali Najfi of the Lahore High Court held the Punjab government “directly responsible” for the bloodbath at Minhajul Quran Secretariat in Model Town. Therefore Arif Nizami had said the report has been suppressed. Shahbaz Sharif along with Chaudhry Nisar Ali conducted several meetings with COAS during those days because the immense pressure was developed by Minhajul Quran and PTI. Another five-members JIT was formed, headed by CCPO Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema including Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB). That JIT granted ‘clean chit’ to CM Shahbaz Sharief. ISI  directly works under the Chief of Army staff. In a meeting during the Aazadi Dharna  Ex-COAS Raheel Sharif promised Qadri that the accountable of model town massacre would be brought to justice, Qadri Sahab claimed, but after the Azadi Dharna, Saddened Qadri Sahab said that he had "knocked every door to find justice" but all our efforts went in vain.