KARACHI, July 20: A court has directed the government to submit challans on July 27 of those activists of the Harkatul Mujahideen Al Almi who were arrested in connection with the bomb blast outside the US consulate and Sheraton hotel and were involved in an abortive attempt to blow up President Musharraf’s motorcade.

Justice Shabbir Ahmed of the Sindh High Court, who is also the administrative judge of the anti-terrorism courts at Karachi, passed the order when police produced Inspector Waseem Akhtar of the Pakistan Rangers for remand before him.

Justice Ahmed sent him to jail until July 27 and directed the authorities concerned to submit challan on that date. Assistant Advocate-General Sindh Habib Ahmed appeared for the state.

While Inspector Waseem was sent to jail on Saturday, two others, Mohammed Imran and Mohammed Hanif, the chief and a deputy chief, respectively, of the previously unknown Harkatul Mujahideen Al Almi, were already in jail custody in the same cases. Justice Ahmed also ordered police to submit challan against them on July 27.

Inspector Waseem Akhtar, whose arrest has been shown on July 9, was booked in FIR 94/2002. On July 8, the Director-General of the Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, Major-General Salahuddin had told a news conference that the inspector, who was allegedly in league with others, was already in custody.

The alleged conspirators had attempted to achieve their objective by stuffing a Suzuki high-roof with explosives and parking it on main Sharea Faisal, near the airport. The remote control device could not work, so the objective was not achieved.

Justice Ahmed also ordered that challan in respect of accused Shaikh Mohammed Ahmed alias Danial, who is already in jail custody, should be submitted on the next date. He too was involved in various terrorist activities.

Their arrest and confessional statements had established the existence of a third vehicle which was used in the suicide attack on the US consulate. While the local police were earlier of the view that the vehicle of a motor driving school was the carrier of the explosives, FBI agents had floated the idea about the involvement of a third vehicle believed to be a Suzuki.