KARACHI, Sept 11: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has said that the attitude and remarks of some judges of a seven-member larger bench of the Sindh High Court hearing a suo motu petition regarding May 12 mayhem was against judicial norms and reflected their bias.

“How a court decides a case when its judges say that they are complainant and eyewitnesses to the same case which is being heard by the court,” Mr Hussain said during a telephonic address from London to a gathering of intellectuals, poets, writers and professionals organised by the Graduate Forum here on Tuesday night.

He was reacting to media reports alleging that MQM workers had surrounded the Sindh High Court premises on Monday, compelling the bench to adjourn the hearing of the May 12 case for a week. “The purpose of this news is nothing but to malign the MQM in the eyes of the nation and the international community,” he said.

He lambasted the media for carrying what he called biased reports regarding Monday’s event.

Mr Hussain alleged that some ‘rogue elements’ using the platform of the Karachi Bar Association (KBA) had abused and attacked lawyers appearing on behalf of the government in the May 12 proceedings.

A complaint was filed against the lawyers, but the Sindh High Court bench took no action to protect them, he said, adding that the KBA had also cancelled the membership of lawyers, including Khwaja Naveed, Iqtidar Hashmi and Raja Qureshi for representing the government side.

“This is in not the independence of the judiciary and it is an open act of rowdiness,” he remarked.

“As they (lawyers) were frightened and talked to the Sindh Governor and the coordination committee, it was decided that eyewitness to the May 12 events would go to the court and file affidavit to become part of the hearing. But on Monday, the judges (of the larger bench) did not come and adjourned the hearing from their chambers,” he added.

He made it clear that the people of Karachi would hold accountable anyone trying to attack or abuse any lawyer representing the government side.

He also warned Asfandyar Wali, the chief of Awami National Party, that people of Karachi would not allow his workers to use ‘language of the gun’ in the city.

Mr Hussain was of the view that PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif had arrived in Pakistan and returned to Jeddah at his own will.