SHC dissatisfied with Sindh govt’s old JIT report on May 12 riots

KARACHI: Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday expressed dissatisfaction over an old probe report of Sindh government pertaining to the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) investigation into the 12th May riots.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Iqbal Kazmi, seeking formation of a JIT to probe the 12th May riots. It expressed dissatisfaction over an old report submitted by the Sindh government.

The court gave two-month ultimatum to Sindh government for formation of JIT to probe into May 12 riots.

The provincial government told the court that 42 affected families of the 12th May have already been provided compensation. The court sought a detailed report of this compensation.

The petitioner, Iqbal Kazmi, stated that the court had directed the Sindh government for the formation of JIT within two weeks, but the JIT was not constituted despite the lapse of many months.

On May 12, 2007 a major portion of Karachi’s main artery, Shahra-e-Faisal, turned into a battlefield when rival political groups clashed with each other soon after the arrival of the then chief justice of Pakistan. Due to the clash, the former chief justice did not move ahead from the lounge of the airport and returned to Islamabad without addressing a lawyers’ convention at Sindh High Court.

More than 50 people were killed and over 100 injured in attacks on rallies of different political parties and lawyers who wanted to receive the then deposed chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.