Lawyers mark ninth anniversary of May 12 incident by boycotting courts

According to details, lawyers bodies across the country have boycotted the court in protest over the incident. Lawyers across Pakistan have refrained from taking part in judicial proceedings today, which has resulted in the delay of thousands of cases. Bar offices across the country have been shut down and black flags were also put up outside the bar offices.

12 May 2007 was one of the darkest days of the city ever witnessed. At least 40 people had lost their lives on the bloody day while over 90 others were injured. Till this day, the people of Pakistan in general and of Karachi in particular recall the day when armed militants roamed the city in broad daylight. Activists of opposing political parties clashed on the streets of the metropolis and opened fire on each other. More than thirty people were killed and scores were injured in clashes.

Containers had been placed overnight at several places in the city as the armed conflict had taken place the next day. Law and order on that particular day was nowhere to be seen as gun-wielding militants shot at each other without hesitation.

In order to probe the killings that had taken place in Karachi on May 12, a judicial bench had been constituted. However, nothing of substance was achieved from the bench and till this day, relatives of the deceased await justice.

Violence had broken out when the then-deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had reached Karachi to rouse support for his cause. The situation was tense already since Karachi was a MQM stronghold, who were allies back then with General (retd) Pervaiz Musharraf.

The opposition parties from those days had placed blame on MQM and its workers for indulging in the armed conflict and carrying out the killings. Meanwhile, the MQM till this day has rejected such claims and blamed the opposition parties back then for inciting violence.