LAHORE - A Lahore High Court (LHC) bench headed by Chief Justice Sardar Shamim Khan will take up a petition requesting the court to stop an official Joint Investigation Team (JIT) from holding investigation into the Sahiwal killings and to form a judicial commission to probe the matter instead.

The petition was filed by Sahiwal tragedy victim Khalil’s brother Jalil against the constitution of the JIT.

The court after admitting the petition for hearing had issued notices to Punjab chief minister and the police chief for today.

CTD officials had killed four people, including a couple, their daughter and a friend, in a shootout on GT Road near Sahiwal last month.

The victim’s brother cited Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and Punjab Inspector General (IG) Amjad Javed Saleemi parties in the petition.

The petitioner contended that a false first information report (FIR) had been filed after the fake police encounter to label the victims as terrorists.

Later, he added, another FIR was launched against the CTD personnel following nationwide protests launched by the citizens against the brutal killings.

Facts had been distorted in the FIR to give margin to killers to go scot free. He contended that the accused involved in the killings were law enforcement agency’s officials and the JIT made by the government could not ensure a justice in the case.

The chief had admitted the petition for hearing and issued notices to the respondents for today