KARACHI, Jan 20: An anti-terrorism court on Saturday allowed B class in Karachi Central Prison to former Balochistan chief minister Sardar Akhtar Mengal, who is being tried for taking armymen hostage.

Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC No.5, who is conducting the proceedings inside the prison, fixed Feb 3 for the next hearing.

Defence counsel Azizullah Shaikh submitted that his client was entitled to B class as he was a former chief minister and a taxpayer. The counsel placed on record the income tax certificate.

Special Public Prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum opposed the application.

The defence counsel also moved two applications seeking permission for Mr Mengal’s relatives, and for Iqbal Haider, secretary-general of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, to attend the proceedings.

Mr Haider, who was allowed on Jan 8 to witness the trial as an observer, was restrained from attending the court proceedings by the judge, who said that he was wrongly reporting the proceedings in the media.

BLAST CASE: The judge put off the hearing of the US consulate bomb blast case after recording the statements of two prosecution witnesses.