KARACHI: The national conference of different political parties organised by the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) on Saturday declared May12 Carnage of 2007 as the national tragedy and demanded the judiciary to take culprits to the task who massacred the innocent people.

It also demanded the government for compensating the loss of human lives that took place five years ago.

Organised by the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) at a local hotel in Karachi, the national conference further demanded lodging of FIR against former President Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf and other government and political officials allegedly responsible for the bloodshed.

A resolution unanimously passed by the conference urged for probing the May 12 massacre by a tribunal headed by a judge of Supreme Court and also that the nation should be apprised of the results.

Like the May 12 carnage, the judicial probe should also be conducted into the tragic incidents of 12 Rabi-ul-Awal, May 12, 2006, October 18, 2007, April 09, 2008, Aashura bomb blast and Bolton Market incident so that the assailants could be brought to justice, it demanded.

The national conference, through the resolution, urged for an end to appointments in Sindh police on political grounds and reorganising the police force on professional basis for taking effective actions against killers, extortionists and other lawbreakers.

The conference called for immediate action against the terrorists and other criminals nominated in FIRs of all the cases of targeted killings and extortion.

A large number of political and religious leaders across the country attended and addressed the conference presided over by JI chief Syed Munawar Hassan.

Prominent among them were former foreign minister and Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, provincial chief of the PTI Nadir Akmal Leghari, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Raja Zafarul Haque, Senator Mushahdullah Khan, Syed Ghaus Ali Shah and Salim Zia.

While, Syed Jalal Mahmood Shah of Sindh United Party, Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo of National Party of Balochistan, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, Syed Alam Shah of HariTehrik, Kunwar Quttubuddin of PML-F, Mahmoodul Hassan, president Karachi Bar Association, Senator Shahi Syed of ANP, Owais Noorani of JUP, Muhammad Hussain Mahnati and Maulana Asadullah Bhutto of JI, QamarBhatti, representatives of Sunni Tehrik, Tehrik-i-Islami, Awami Muslim League, small traders organisation, Rickshaw Owners Association and others also participated the conference.

The political and religious leaders criticised the government and said the killers of innocent people on May 12 were not arrested because they are sharing the power under the government’s reconciliation policy.

Lawyers observed “black day”

Meanwhile, the legal fraternity observed a 'black day' across the country to condemn May 12, 2007, incident.

Lawyers associations hoisted black flags at the premises of their respective bars offices, as well as held meetings to pay tributes to the victims of May 12 violence.

A protest rally led by lawyers leaders was also taken out at M.A. Jinnah road in Karachi against the killing of innocent people including lawyers and political workers on that fateful day.

Different bar associations held protest meeting at their respective bars and demanded arrest of culprits involved in the killing of innocent people in the metropolis on May 12, 2007.

The lawyers of Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana and other cities of the province also observed 'black day' and boycotted the courts proceedings on the call of their respective bar associations.