Inquiry Commission
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan is resuming hearing of the Faizabad sit-in case today. A three-member bench of the apex court headed by chief justice Qazi Faez Isa is conducting hearing of the case.
Meanwhile, in a significant development, the federal government has formed an inquiry commission to investigate the Faizabad sit-in, coinciding with the Supreme Court’s imminent resumption of hearings on the case.
Inspector General of Police (Retd) Akhtar Ali Shah is heading the commission.
Attorney General Mansoor Awan informed reporters at the Supreme Court on Wednesday that in response to the court’s suggestion during the previous hearing, the government has resolved to form a commission.
A notification outlining the commission’s composition is set to be presented in court later today.
Awan’s announcement preceded the proceedings of a three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, tasked with revisiting the Faizabad sit-in case. The bench includes Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Aminuddin Khan.
Veteran politician Sheikh Rasheed, one of the petitioners in the case, also appeared at the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Earlier, the bench had rejected a fact-finding committee composed of Ministry of Defence officials, which had been established by the government. Justice Qazi Faez Isa noted that the committee’s Terms of Reference (TORs) had already exonerated everyone involved. Instead, the court recommended the formation of an inquiry commission to address the issue.
The case had seen multiple review petitions filed in 2019 by various parties, including PTI, Intelligence Bureau, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, MQM, former Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, and the Election Commission, among others. Notably, several petitioners have sought to withdraw their petitions as the case came before Justice Isa for hearing.
