In a significant development, the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has acquitted three accused, including former provincial home minister Waseem Akhtar, in the May 12, 2007, case.
The court cited a lack of sufficient evidence as the reason for the acquittal of Akhtar, along with two other accused, Umair Siddiqui and Ijaz Shah Qadri.
The prosecution had registered a case against the accused at the Airport Police Station, charging them with rioting and arson during the May 12 violence.
However, the court concluded that the evidence presented was not enough to convict the accused.
Additionally, the court declared 12 other individuals, including the founder of MQM, as proclaimed offenders in the case.
Permanent arrest warrants were issued for these proclaimed offenders. As of now, six cases related to the May 12 tragedy remain pending.
About May 12 case:
The 12 May Karachi riots, also known as the Black Saturday riots, were a series of violent clashes between rival political activists in Karachi, that resulted in 58 deaths.
The unrest began as the recently suspended chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry arrived at the Jinnah International Airport on 12 May 2007.
