Karachi death toll reaches 30, over 115 injured

Karachi, May 13: At least 30 people were killed and 115 injured today as the country's main business center, Karachi, turned into a battlefield on the arrival of suspended Chief Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in the city to address Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA).

Most of the fatalities took place after intense exchange of fire and clashes between opposition supporters of Justice Chaudhry and pro-government Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) near the Jinnah International Airport.

Private TV channels showed visuals of blood stained bodies and burnt cars in different parts of the violence-hit port city.

However, Sindh Rangers took control of the city in the evening following a high level meeting in Islamabad, which was chaired by President Pervez Musharraf and attended by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and other top security officials.

General Musharraf also addressed a mamoth public rally in front of the parliament house in Islamabad after chairing the meeting and strongly condemned the violence.

''This was done by elements, who wanted to create chaos in the city,'' he told the rally of thousands of people, who were brought to Islamabad in special buses by leaders of ruling Pakistan Muslim League from all over Punjab.

He said the Chief Justice went to Karachi despite the fact that he was warned of possible violence.

The situation turned violent because the judicial issue was politicised, he stressed, asking the people to reject political forces, which wanted to trigger anarchy in the country.

''It was very painful for me to hear killing of so many people in Karachi today,'' President Musharraf said.

Geo TV earlier quoted MQM's provincial legislator Faisal Sabzwari as saying that at least 10 Mutahida workers were killed as activists of the opposition parties opened fire on them in different areas.

Radical Jamat-e-Islami also made a similar claim, saying that one of its workers was killed in the indiscriminate firing by the MQM, representing Urdu speaking people, who migrated to Pakistan from India in 1947.

Fromer prime minister Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said its 15 activitists were killed in today's violence in Karachi.

Dozens of vehicles and a petrol pump near the Karachi airport were also torched, as Justice Chaudhry waited inside airport for his supporters to escort him to the Sindh High Court building.

Hundreds of lawyers, Islamists and activists of secular parties, which had announced to accord a historic welcome to Justice Chaudhry were barred from going to the airport to receive the suspended Chief Justice. ''We will not go to the High Court building until our hosts are allowed to come to the airport and receive the Chief Justice,'' Justice Chaudhry's senior lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan told mediapersons here.

He said the decision to prevent the Chief Justice from proceeding to the court building had proven that the government had no writ and authority in the city.

A helicopter was also made available by the provincial government at the airport to airlift Justice Chaudhry to the High Court but he refused saying that he would go by road.

The authorities did not allow him to go by road to the court building and his lawyers were later asked to leave Karachi.

Later, he was sent to Islamabad along with his team of lawyers.

The decision to bar Chaudhry from proceeding to Sindh high court came contrary to an earlier statement by provincial Home Secretary Ghulam Muhammad Mohtaram that the government was ready to facilitate Justice Chaudhry's movement.

SHCBA president Abrar Hassan alleged that the provincial government hired ''goons'' to sabotage Justice Chaudhry's rally in Karachi , a stronghold of the MQM, also holding separate rallies all over the city.

Witnesses said that police failed to control the situation and disappeared from their areas of deployment after firing broke out in Karachi, which has been a hot bed of sectarian and extremist related violence since early 1990s.

President Musharraf had sacked Justice Chaudhry on March 9, a move that triggered countrywide protests, which turned violent in many cities including Islamabad on March 16.

Accusing Justice Chaudhry for misuse of powers, President Musharraf sent a reference against him to the council of top judges, known as the Supreme Judicial Council, which held eight meetings before its proceedings were stayed by a larger bench of the Supreme Court on May 7 on a petition filed by the former top judge.

In his petition, Justice Chaudhry, who was sent on forced leave on March 15, challenged his own suspension as well as constitution and competence of the SJC to try him.

A 14-member full court is scheduled to hear Justice Chaudhry's petition on May 14.

''I will accept verdict of the full court,'' President Musharraf told the rally, adding that opposition parties should refrain from influencing the judiciary by holding rallies.

Meanwhile, Islamic opposition alliance, Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) called a countrywide shutter down on May 14. Lawyers have said that they too would boycott local courts on the same day.

UNI