KARACHI, June 15: The investigation team began work on the lawyers’ FIR registered at the City Courts police station against leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and various officials of the Sindh government.
The investigation team led by the Town Investigation Officer (TIO) of New Karachi, Asghar Usman, visited the City Courts and held a meeting with Karachi Bar Association (KBA) vice-president Qadir Khan.
Other police officials in the probe team were TIO North Nazimabad Kanwar Asif, the Senior Investigation Officer (SIO) of New Karachi Industrial Area, Inspector Khalid, and SIO Super Market Ghulam Akbar Narejo.
TIO Asghar Usman told Dawn that he visited the City Courts as per the orders from his superiors. He said a meeting of the investigation team with KBA General Secretary Naeem Qureshi was scheduled for 4pm, but could not be held as the KBA leader could not reach due to some of his unavoidable commitments. He said that the meeting would now be held on June 18 at 4pm at the City Courts.
KBA vice-president Qadir Khan said that it was not a single case that occurred only in the limits of the City Courts, but a large number of the Karachi Bar Association, Sindh High Court Bar Association and Malir Bar Association members had faced the same situation in different areas on May 12.
He said that the lawyers residing in different localities were on their way to airport to receive Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry but they were stopped at gunpoint by unidentified miscreants and manhandled in the presence of police, but no action was taken in this regard.
Mr Khan said that a lawyer Pervez Akhtar Kiani was shot at who later succumbed to his injuries, but the police so far did not bother to arrest the culprits involved in his murder. He said that Sindh government officials were bound legally and morally to register the cases on its own and arrest the accused.
The KBA leader said that the movement for an independent judiciary had remained peaceful since the beginning and the lawyers had never resorted to violence. But it was beyond comprehension as to why the Sindh government misused its power against the lawyers, he deplored.
Mr Khan said that all the lawyers who faced such problems on May 12 would register FIRs with the police in the limits of different police stations.
He said that May 12 carnage would remain imprinted on the minds of all the victims of that ugly incident.
