ATC hears May 12 mayhem cases

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday resumed hearing of more than ten cases pertaining to the May 12, 2007 mayhem, ARY News reported.

All the accused nominated in the cases appeared in the court.

The Investigation Officer (IO), at the start of the hearing, pleaded the court to grant him time to file challan in the cases.

The ATC judge hearing the case, approving the IO’s request ordered him to present the challan of the cases in next hearing and adjourned the proceedings till June 26.

In Sept this year, the Sindh High Court (SHC) had ordered reopening the cases regarding the May 12, 2007 mayhem.

The verdict came on a plea to reopen the 65 cases which had been declared A Class (proceedings in the case stopped with the approval of the court).

On May 12, 2007, at least 50 people were killed and over 100 wounded in attacks on rallies of different political parties and the legal fraternity, who had attempted to receive the then-deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry at the Karachi airport ahead of a lawyers’ gathering.

Justice Chaudhry was forced to fly back to Islamabad after nine hours of being restricted to the airport.