KARACHI, Feb 17: An anti-terrorism court put off on Monday the hearing of the US consulate carbombing case against leaders of the banned Harkatul Mujahideen Al-Aalmi as a defence lawyer did not turn up.

Judge Aley Maqbool Rizvi fixed Feb 24 for the next hearing and ordered accused Mohammed Ashraf to ensure the presence of his counsel on the next date of hearing, or the court would appoint a pauper advocate for him at state expenses.

The self-styled chief of his own Aalmi faction of the banned organization, Mohammed Imran, his deputy, Mohammed Ashraf, and finance secretary Mohammed Hanif are being prosecuted for their involvement in the carbombing that killed 12 people and injured 43 others. The incident took place on June 14.

The three accused, being tried inside the Central Prison, Karachi, had pleaded “not guilty” and preferred to be tried in the case on Aug 21 last year, when they had been formally arraigned in the case.

They are facing charges under sections 302, 324,427 and 109 of PPC, section 3/4 of the Explosives Act and section 7-B of the Anti-terrorism Act.

Abdul Waheed Katpar and Khwaja Naveed Ahmed, defence lawyers for the two other accused, were present in the court.

CASE AGAINST LAHORI: Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5 recorded the statements of three prosecution witnesses in a sectarian killing case against the chief of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, Akram Lahori, and two others.