May 12 incident: Waseem Akhtar nominated accused in interim challan

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KARACHI: Police on Wednesday filed an interim challan in anti-terrorism court and nominated mayor-designate of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Waseem Akhtar in case regarding violent clashes among different political workers on May 12, 2007 on the streets of Karachi.

During a hearing of the case in an anti-terrorism court, police filed an interim challan which stated mayoral candidate of Karachi, Wasim Akhtar has confessed to involvement in violent clashes on May 12.

Kamran Farooqi, Muhammad Adnan among 56 persons have been termed fugitives in the case. The police maintained that criminal Aslam Kala was arrested on Akhtar’s identification and weapons seized from his possession were found to be used on May 12.

The anti-terrorism court acknowledged the interim challan and instructed the police to file a comprehensive challan.

The text of the challan further said that there are concrete evidences of the involvement of Waseem Akhtar and others in May 12 incident.

The challan also said that the weapons used in the incident were recovered on the pinpointing of the arrested worker of MQM Aslam Klaki and that high authorities have been contacted for the JIT.

Accepting the interim challan the court directed submission of the final challan.

Meanwhile, Waseem Akhtar and People’s Party’s Abdul Qadir Patel submitted their tax statements to the court according to which, Akhtar filed Rs 577 in 2014, Rs 171 in 2015, Rs 8,835 in 2013 and Rs 92,607 in 2012.

Abdul Qadir Patel is revealed to have submitted Rs 42,096 in 2015 and Rs 1,56,441 in 2013.

The tax returns were filed in the anti-terrorism court by the arrested politicians in order to meet requirements for shift to B-class jail.

The case is running in court in context of the violence that brewed on the roads and streets of Karachi on May 12, 2012 after supporters of former chief justice of Pakistan, Chaudhry Iftikhar Muhammad rallied on his arrival in the city after unjust suspension and violent confrontations took place as Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which also had announced a rally the same day, converged its workers to Jinnah s mausoleum where ex-CJP was to make a speech.

Firing at a private media house was shown live on the television while over 40 persons

Akhtar was first detained and shifted to jail last month after a court rejected him extension in interim bail in terror case against former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain.

Others who were detained that day included Pak Sarzameen Party’s founding member Anees Qaimkhani and MQM’s Rauf Siddique besides Abdul Qadir Patel.