Daily Times

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has issued notices to the federal and provincial authorities on a constitutional petition seeking formation of a larger bench to hear the 12 May mayhem case.

A division bench headed by Justice Ahmed Ali M Shaikh was hearing the petition filed by Syed Iqbal Kazmi, who had gone to the courts pleading it to constitute a larger bench to inquire into the 12 May riots that killed over 50 people.

The bench also has issued notices to Sindh police chief for failing to provide security to the petitioner in compliance with its earlier orders.

More than 50 people had been killed and around 100 vehicles wre set ablaze in the city on May 12, 2007 during the visit of the former Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry. The former CJP had arrived to address the legal fraternity, who had gathered to protest against the military dictator General Pervez Musharraf, but he remained stranded at the Jinnah International Airport due the riots and had to return back to Islamabad without addressing the lawyers.

The petitioner had labeled the former interior secretary, Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s chief Altaf Hussain, former Sindh home adviser Waseem Akhtar, former home secretary retired Brig Ghulam Mohammad Mohtram, the former Rangers director-general, and others as respondents.

In the petition, he stated that the provincial authorities had failed to provide security to erstwhile CJP during his visit and had violated the court orders regarding security, which had led to the riots.

The lawyers gathered at the premises of courts were manhandled by the mobs, he said adding that the government had failed to protect life, liberty, freedom of movement and other fundamental rights of the citizens and prayed the court to initiate contempt proceedings against the respondents.

The petitioner alleged that MQM chief Altaf Hussain, former home minister Waseem Akhtar and other respondents were responsible for the killing of over 50 people during the riots.