An anti-terrorism court on Tuesday indicted 19 suspects, including Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, in a case related to the carnage which unfolded across the port city on May 12, 2007. The suspects pleaded not guilty, and the witnesses were summoned for the next hearing scheduled for June 23. The hearing of the four cases pertaining to the incident took place in Karachi's ATC Court-II.
Akhtar and other suspects appeared before the court. The arrested suspect, Umair Siddiqui, was also presented. The court indicted all suspects in one out of the four cases. All 19 suspects are on bail. A total of seven cases were registered related to the tragic incident. Four of these cases are underway in court II, and three are pending in court III.
Besides the apprehended Siddiqui, the court has termed the 16 missing suspects as absconders.
Speaking to the media after the hearing Mayor Akhtar said that the May 12 incident should be investigated from scratch. "Real facts and faces must be brought before the public," he said, claiming that innocent people were facing the case.
"If matters continue like this then people will distrust the system," he said. Akhtar said that he will face the cases instead of absconding. He further added that after becoming mayor, he was flooded with cases.
"Twenty cases were filed against me in one day. Rao Anwar took me from jail and registered an FIR against me, now he's facing cases himself. The Supreme Court must take a suo motu notice of this," he added.
He called for reopening of all cases including Hyderabad Pakka Qila, Ali Garh and bomb blasts so that the public may learn the facts. Akhtar alleged that these are individual cases and when the cases were registered in 2007, his name was not present. He added that he had been made a target of political revenge.
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