KARACHI, June 14: The investigation team is likely to begin work on Friday on the lawyers’ FIR registered at City Court police station against leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and officials of the Sindh government.

According to Karachi Bar Association leaders, the process was due to begin on June 12 but police authorities dragged their heels over it.

KBA General Secretary Naeem Qureshi told reporters that Sindh Chief Secretary Shakeel Durrani had assured him about the investigation and that the officials concerned would be directed to begin the process on Friday. Mr Qureshi said the investigation officer was supposed to initiate the process soon after the receipt of the file as it was his official duty but he failed to do it on time.

He said the problem of parking of vehicles on the road in front of the City Courts was also discussed with the chief secretary, and he assured him that all problems being faced by the lawyers would be solved.

SSP Mohammad Arif Hanif, who is stated to have been assigned the duty of supervising the investigation, when asked if there was any technical problem in the investigation, denied it and said the process was about to begin.

“A team of police officers has been constituted to be led by Town Investigation Officer (TIO) of New Karachi Asghar Usman and the case will be processed according to law,” said Mr Hanif.

TIO Asghar Usman told Dawn that he had contacted the KBA general secretary and would meet him on Friday at the City Courts at 4pm, adding that the process would thus begin.

It may be recalled that following an order of the additional district and sessions judge, South, Mohammad Azeem, the City Courts police had registered the FIR (53/07) on May 19 on a complaint of the Karachi Bar Association.

It was mentioned in the FIR that on May 12, KBA members were on their way to the Sindh High Court to attend the Supreme Court’s golden jubilee celebrations which were to be attended by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

The petitioner submitted that as the lawyers came out of the City Courts in a big procession some unidentified persons opened indiscriminate fire on them from all sides, forcing the lawyers to disperse into two groups and rush to safety.

In the meanwhile, it said, MQM workers appeared in vehicles with party flags and started shooting at the lawyers and pelted them with stones, causing injuries to them, including women, who were not allowed to take shelter in the nearby buildings.

It was stated that the lawyers were threatened with immolation and the furniture placed in the women lawyers’ common room was already set ablaze. Some Sindh Bar Council members were held hostage at gunpoint and many KBA members were held hostage in the Karachi bar building. The lawyers had repeatedly contacted the Sindh governor and police high-ups till 5pm but no action was taken against the terrorists,” the petitioner said and added that Pakistan Bar Council member Mohammad Yasin Azad and KBA member Fahim Zia said they had already informed police about the attack on lawyers but police refused to take any action.

The FIR was registered under Sections 147, 148, 149, 324, 427, 365/511 and 506-B of the PPC, but it was disposed of by the police under Section 157-B of the CrPC, stating that the incidents mentioned in the FIR had not occurred in the jurisdiction of the City Courts police.