LAHORE - Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan on Tuesday summoned in person Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab Amjad Javed Saleemi and other senior cops on January 24 in petitions seeking impartial inquiry into Sahiwal carnage through a judicial commission.

The chief justice passed the orders while hearing two identical petitions, filed by Advocate Mian Asif and others seeking directions for formation of a judicial commission for an impartial inquiry into the Sahiwal incident.

During the proceedings, the petitioners’ counsel questioned the formation of a joint investigation team to probe the Sahiwal incident. 

They contended that a judicial commission should have been formed for unearthing real facts. They pleaded with the court for issuing directions for formation of a judicial commission to unearth real facts.

They also requested the court to ask the government for submitting a detailed report on the incident and other fake encounters and action taken against the policemen. On the request, the chief justice remarked how the chief justice alone could form a commission. The government could form a commission with consultation of the chief justice, he said. He remarked that Section 3 of Inquiries and Tribunals Act is very clear in this regard. A law officer informed the the chief justice that the government had formed a JIT to probe the matter.

Subsequently, the chief justice summoned the IGP in person for January 24 to know the steps taken in connection with Sahiwal incident and other encounters. The court also advised petitioners to first approach the government for formation of the judicial commission.

Earlier, the petitioner said the Counterterrorism Department (CTD) personnel killed a couple, their 13-year-old daughter and a friend in front of their other three children in Sahiwal. The incident has triggered a national outcry that prompted the government to take the security officials into custody and to form a Joint Invistigation Team to investigate the incident.

Eyewitnesses had said that the deceased were neither equipped with any weapon nor resisted officers whereas three kids were also present in the car. They further said that the kids while speaking to them at a nearby petrol station claimed that the “police have killed their parents”.