KARACHI, Aug 6: An eyewitness turned hostile during deposition before an anti-terrorism court in Karachi on Friday, saying the police compelled him to identify activists of the banned Harkatul Mujahideen Al-Alami and to give statement against them.

Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch was conducting the trial against nine activists of the banned Harkatul Mujahideen Al-Alami for their alleged involvement in the Macedonian consulate bomb blast and killing case.

Syed Sohail Akhtar, Zafar Iqbal, Naeem Rufi, Mohammad Atif, Mohammad Khalid, Mahmoodullah, Abdul Razzaq, Samirullah and Syed Ahmar Kazmi are charged with allegedly killing three persons Hameed Masih, Mohammad Asif and Ms Ghazala Parveen on Dec 5, 2002, at the office of honorary Macedonian Consulate in the DHA and later blasting the office with an explosive devise.

Naveed Sheikh, an eyewitness who had identified Sohail Akhtar, Mehmoodullah, Mohammad Atif and Mohammad Khalid before the judicial magistrate in an identification parade, said he does not know the accused and did not see them before.

Earlier, in his statement, he had stated that on Jan 1 that he went to the Al-Mustufa Mosque in Shershah for Maghreb prayers and later listened the sermon. After the sermon, he heard the conversation of the accused, who was also present in the mosque, about the killing and blast in the Macedonian consulate.

The trial, which is being conducted inside Karachi Central jail, has been fixed for Aug 9 for deposition by further prosecution witnesses. Special Public Prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum is representing the state while M. R Syed, advocate, represented the defence. -PPI