Three ‘MQM hitmen’ indicted in May 12 cases

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday indicted three suspected target killers — Raeesuddin (alias Mama), Umair Siddiqui (alias Jailer) and Mirza Naseeb Baig (alias Rizwan Chapati) — in nine cases pertaining to the May 12, 2007 mayhem in Karachi.

At least 40 people were killed and several injured as riots broke out in the city on the eve of the then deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s arrival in the city to address a lawyers’ gathering.

The ATC-VII judge framed charges against the suspects, who are said to be affiliated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), as they pleaded not guilty. Commencing the trial, the judge issued notices to the witnesses to appear in the court on August 26.

Of the nine FIRs registered against the accused, six were lodged at the Airport police station, two at the Ferozabad police station and one at the Bahadurabad police station.

The cases were registered under sections 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempting to murder), 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 427 (mischief causing damage to amount of fifty rupees) and 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage to amount of one hundred rupees or — in case of agriculture produce — ten rupees) of the Pakistan Penal Code, read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The cases had been declared A-class for no clues of the suspects involved and were reopened recently after the arrests of the charged suspects. Siddiqui was arrested in the March 11, 2015 raid at the MQM headquarters, popularly known as Nine Zero. Raeesuddin was arrested from Malaysia through the Interpol in March 2018. Baig was arrested by the Rangers in November 2018.

Nine Zero cases adjourned

The ATC-XVII adjourned the hearing against nine suspected target killers until August 7. The court examined the evidence against the suspects and ordered that the proceeding will be continued on the next date of hearing.

Nine MQM workers — Faisal Mehmood (alias Mota, who is already facing the death penalty for journalist Wali Babar’s murder), Nadir Shah, Shabbir Ahmed, Amir Ali (alias Sar Phata), Imtiaz, Kazim Raza, Abdul Qadir (alias Hingoro), Nadeem Ahmed and Muhammad Javed — have been charged under Section 23(1)a of the Sindh Arms Act and sections 4 and 5 of the Explosives Substances Act.

According to the prosecution, the accused were arrested in a raid led by the Sindh Rangers at Nine Zero on March 11, 2015. Unlicensed weapons and explosives were allegedly found on them.