SHC orders police protection for petitioner

May 23 court siege case adjourned until December 12

The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed the police on Monday to provide protection to the petitioner who sought reopening of the May 12 – or Black Saturday riots – case and constitution of a larger bench to hear it.

The court was hearing Iqbal Kazmi’s application, in which he said an attempt on his life was made in June 2012, while his nephew, cousins and other associates were killed in attacks because of the May 12 case.

He said he was forced to withdraw the petition when he was in jail after he was implicated in false cases allegedly on the behest of the previous government.

He asked the court to reconstitute a full bench to hear the case and provide him and his family with necessary protection.

The SHC directed the provincial police chief to provide protection to the petitioner and adjourned the hearing of the case.

Narrating the incidents of May 12, 2007, Kazmi said the then home secretary and the police chief had violated the court’s order for providing security to the then chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry during his visit to Karachi, adding that mobs had laid siege to buildings of the high court and the city courts, and manhandled lawyers.

He said the government had failed to protect the lives, liberties, freedom of movement and other fundamental rights of the citizens, requesting the court to initiate contempt proceedings against the then home adviser Waseem Akhtar for issuing derogatory remarks against the CJP.

More than 50 people were killed in violence and armed attacks on political parties and lawyers’ rallies that wished to welcome Chaudhry.