Karachi May 12 riots: ATC indicts Waseem Akhtar in another case

KARACHI: A special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday indicted Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar in a case related to violence on May 12, 2007.

The court heard four more cases related to the carnage, in which other accused were also indicted, however, all accused denied the charges pertaining to the case.

Akhtar and others have also been indicted in another case and nine suspects have been declared absconders by the court so far.

Moreover, a committee had also been constituted by the Sindh High Court to investigate the violence and is headed by Karachi AIG Amir Sheikh.

Following that, the court ordered witnesses to appear before the ATC and adjourned the hearing till October 27.

After the hearing, Akhtar, while addressing the media out the court said, “Those responsible for the May 12 violence should be identified.”

Earlier, On May 12, at least 34 people were killed and over 140 others injured as a major portion of Shahrah-e-Faisal turned into a battlefield as rival political groups clashed with each other soon after the arrival of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, who remained confined to the lounge of the Jinnah International Airport throughout the day and returned to Islamabad without addressing a lawyers’ convention on the premises of the Sindh High Court.

The thoroughfare was to be used by the procession of the then chief justice but was made completely inaccessible to commuters as all the intersections were blocked by large containers and trucks.

The failure of the Sindh government and the law-enforcers to maintain law and order made the city hostage to political workers. However, Adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister on Home Affairs Waseem Akhtar blamed the chief justice for a breakdown in law and order and deaths in incidents of violence.

Journalists had also staged a sit-in at the airport in protest against manhandling of newsmen and camerapersons at various troubled spots by political workers and against an armed attack on local TV channel. Many camerapersons were injured and their expensive cameras smashed while they were beaten up.