LHC orders to release Model Town inquiry report (Full Verdict)

LAHORE - A three-member bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday rejected an appeal filed by the Punjab government to not release the Model Town inquiry report, prepared by the Justice Baqar Najafi.

The high court bench, headed by Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh, had reserved the verdict on November 24 on an intra-court appeal filed against the September 21 decision of a single-bench, headed by Justice Mazhar Ali, directing the authorities to disclosed the report.

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The bench has directed the govt to make public the report within 30 days and provide a copy of the report to the victims of the  Model Town incident, which took place in 2014, within three days.

Following the decision, the Punjab govt has decided to move the Supreme Court against the verdict.

Earlier, Justice Ali had ordered the Punjab home secretary provide a copy of the report to the victims of the Model Town incident, which took place in 2014.

The provincial government had challenged the jurisdiction of the single bench to announce the verdict regarding the report as it highlighted that around eight petitions on the same case were pending with the full bench of the high court.

In the brutal incident, as many as 14 people were killed and over 100 injured after police launched a crackdown against Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers during an 'anti-encroachment operation'.