Model Town case: ‘Cop denied promotion for complaining against PAT workers’

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Friday issued notices to Punjab inspector general of police and other respondents on a petition by an inspector challenging denial of promotion for being complainant in 2014 Model Town case.

During the hearing, Advocate Farhad Ali Shah argued before the court that his client Inspector Rizwan Qadir had been meted out discrimination and victimisation whenever it came to his promotion. He said the petitioner despite being eligible for his promotion to the rank of deputy superintendent of police had been deprived of his right. He pointed out that almost all colleagues of the petitioner had been promoted to the next rank. The counsel claimed that the respondent authorities were not ready to grant lawful promotion to the petitioner as he was a complainant in the state FIR of the Model Town incident against the activists of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT). He asked the court to order the IGP and other respondents to promote the petitioner to the DSP rank.

Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti heard the arguments and sought replies from the respondents by May 18. On June 17, 2014, 14 people were killed and 100 others injured when police opened fire to disperse protesting activists of PAT outside the residence of PAT chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri.

Initially, the police had registered FIR of the incident on the complaint of Inspector Rizwan Qadir. Later, a session’s court on a petition filed by PAT also ordered registration of an FIR on the complaint of the party.