KARACHI, June 29: An anti-terrorism court acquitted on Thursday an accused in the US Consulate blast case. The court of Judge Ghulam Ali Samtio, which had earlier convicted banned Harkatul Mujahideen Al-Aalmi’s chief and its general secretary, exonerated Naveedul Hassan from all charges. The defendant was represented by Samiullah.

Constable Mohammed Azam, Mohammed Ilyas, Mohammed Rizwan, Dr Aliya Waris, Shafaat Ahmed Rizvi, Ikramullah Awan, Nida Nazeer, Nazish Kareem Hussan, Farkhunda Jabeen, Mohammed Ashraf Hussain, Rehana Perveen, Rizwan Bano and head constable Obaidullah were killed in the June 2003 blast.

At least seven policemen -– SI Asif Ali Mughal, Mohammed Aslam and Ali Gohar Soomro, constables Munawwar Nawab, Shakeel Ahmed, Zahoorul Haque, Mohammed Bux and Subedar Astara Khan — were among the 43 injured. The blast had damaged 19 vehicles.

Meanwhile, the judge deferred his judgment till July 5 in a case pertaining to a plot to kill President Parvez Musharraf.

Naveedul Hassan, who was earlier declared absconder in the case, has been charged with hatching a conspiracy to blow up the president’s motorcade in April 2003 under Section 120-B and Section 7 of the Anti-terrorist Act.

Denying the charges, the Harkat member stated that he had been arrested on Nov 15, 2004, in Lahore, while the police had shown Nov 28 as the date of his arrest.

He said the interior minister had also mentioned his arrest in an interview on Nov 17 on a TV channel.

It was alleged that a pick-up laden with explosives, was parked near a shop at the Falak Naz Arcade on Sharea Faisal and absconding accused Kamran had the remote control to blow up the explosives.

Kamran, who had positioned himself at a petrol pump near Star Gate, allegedly pressed the remote control button several times but the vehicle did not blow up. According to the charge-sheet, accused Naveed had assembled the explosive devise and its remote control.

According to the prosecution, the Aalmi leaders, during interrogation, revealed that they wanted to kill President Musharraf for his anti-Taliban and pro-US policies.