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The 12 May Karachi riots, also known as Black Saturday riots, were a series of violent clashes between rival political activists in
Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
. The violence resulted in 58 deaths. The unrest began as the recently suspended chief justice
Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry (; born 12 December 1948) is a Pakistani jurist who served as the 20th Chief Justice of Pakistan over three non-consecutive terms from 29 June 2005 to 11 December 2013. Chaudhry began practice as an advocate of the S ...
arrived at the
Jinnah International Airport Jinnah International Airport () , formerly Drigh Road Airport or Karachi International Airport, is Pakistan's busiest international and domestic airport, and handled 7,267,582 passengers in 2017–2018. Located in Karachi, the largest city a ...
on 12 May 2007. Gunfights and clashes erupted across the provincial capital as lawyers,
Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is a political party in Pakistan and one of the three major List of political parties in Pakistan, Pakistani political parties alongside the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. With a Cent ...
(PPP),
Awami National Party The Awami National Party (ANP; , ; lit. ''People's National Party'') is a Pashtun nationalist, secular and leftist political party in Pakistan. The party was founded by Abdul Wali Khan in 1986 and its current president is Aimal Wali Khan, g ...
(ANP),
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is a political party in Pakistan established in 1996 by cricketer and politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The party is led by Gohar Ali Khan since late 2023. ...
(PTI), and
Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party The Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (; ), abbreviated as PMAP or PKMAP, is a political party in Pakistan's Balochistan province. It was founded by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who was elected as the chairman, and Sher Ali Bacha, who served as the General ...
(PMAP) activists, who supported the judge, and the pro-government Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) activists took to the streets against each other. Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-azam PMLQ and MQM party workers, with support from president and military dictator Gen. Pervez Musharraf, were accused of launching highly coordinated attacks against lawyers, ANP, PTI, PPP, and news channels, especially
Aaj News () is a 24-hour Pakistani news television channel. It is a privately owned Urdu language TV station which covers national and international news. The channel started out as hybrid channel (news, current affairs and entertainment), but later se ...
. Government machinery was used to block all major roads. Police was accomplice and a silent spectator to the violence. News media was attacked at Guru Mandir (Business Recorder Road) when MQM activists began firing at Aaj News headquarters which was shown on live television. Most of the 58 killed were part of opposition parties supporting Chaudhry. Chaudhry's supporters had announced a public rally to welcome the judge while at the same time, the MQM also announced a demonstration of their own to protest against the politicisation of the issue of judge's suspension. The MQM made plans to deliberately converge at the
mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...
of
Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pa ...
where the chief justice was to make an appearance to address a lawyers' convention and a
bar association A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence.
meeting at the 50th anniversary of the Sindh High Court Bar Association.


Lawyers' Movement

Before the citywide riots escalated, several roads were cordoned off and all routes to the airport were blocked to avoid clashes between groups. In the carnage that ensued, armed groups did a lot of damage. Cars were burnt and buildings smashed into while the ensuing gunfights left more than 40 people killed with several hundred injured and arrested. The violence continued for several days, culminating in events that led to the historic
Lawyers' Movement The Lawyers' Movement (), also known as the Movement for the Restoration of Judiciary or the Black Coat Protests, was the popular mass protest movement initiated by the lawyers of Pakistan in response to the former president and army chief Pervez ...
. Several lawmakers and analysts have since questioned the incompetence of the city's security apparatus on the day of the riots and the complicity of MQM in giving rise to the riots. The MQM officially denied starting the chaos and blamed it on the PPP, ANP, PMAP, Punjabi Pakhtun Ittehad (PPI), and
Pakistan Muslim League (N) The Pakistan Muslim League (N) or (PML(N)) is a Centre-right politics, centre-right, Conservatism in Pakistan, conservative political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third-largest party in the Senate of Pakistan, Senate and the larges ...
(PML-N) activists.


Background

In the first few months of 2007, several conflicts had already raged between chief justice
Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry (; born 12 December 1948) is a Pakistani jurist who served as the 20th Chief Justice of Pakistan over three non-consecutive terms from 29 June 2005 to 11 December 2013. Chaudhry began practice as an advocate of the S ...
and the
Pakistani government The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia ...
, particularly with regard to the
Pakistan Steel Mills The Pakistan Steel Mills Corporation, colloquially referred to as ''Pak Steel'', is a Pakistani state-owned company that produces long-rolled steel and heavy metal products in the country. Headquartered in Karachi, Sindh, the PSMC is currently ...
corruption case where the chief justice ruled against the sale of the state-owned steel mills at a "throw-away price". Issues pertaining to the privatisation of the state-owned steel mills upset
Shaukat Aziz Shaukat Aziz (born 6 March 1949) is a Pakistani-born British former banker who served as the 15th prime minister of Pakistan from 28 August 2004 to 15 November 2007. When his term as Prime Minister was over, he immediately left Pakistan and se ...
, who served as the
prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
under the Musharraf administration. What irked
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Pervez Musharraf Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani general and politician who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Prior to his career in politics, he was a four-star general and appointed as ...
however was the controversial Missing Persons case that found Pakistan's intelligence agencies (including the FIA and the ISI) to be complicit in the
forced disappearance An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person with the support or acquiescence of a State (polity), state followed by a refusal to acknowledge the person's fate or whereabouts with the i ...
s of up to 400 people (including terror suspects and human rights activists) without due process since 2001. Under Chaudhry's leadership, the courts had increasingly started "exercising independence from the government" when it ordered the security agencies to produce the missing people in court. When the Musharraf administration asked the judge to quit, Chaudhry refused to go. On 9 March 2007, Musharraf had no other choice but to suspend Chaudhry from his post for alleged and unspecified charges of misconduct and misuse of authority. The sacking of the head of the judiciary sparked bloody protests throughout
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
and "edged the country towards a constitutional crisis". The civil unrest grew with regards to the validity of the allegations as well as doubts as to whether Musharraf had the power to suspend the chief justice. It was on these grounds that Chaudhry waged a legal battle in the
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
seeking his reinstatement. He called his suspension a "thinly veiled assault on the independence of judiciary in Pakistan".


Nationwide protests and media ban

On 5 May 2007, in showing solidarity with the former chief justice, a motorcade of Chaudhry's supporters rode with him from
Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...
to
Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
where he was expected to speak at the
Lahore High Court Bar Association The Lahore High Court Bar Association () is the largest Bar Association of Pakistan, situated in the premises of Lahore High Court, Lahore. Lahore Bar (presently Lahore High Court Bar) as a collective group took birth somewhere before 1892-93 a ...
when this motorcade of over 2,000 vehicles was stopped by the police with baton charges and
tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...
shelling. Debates concerning the day's events started being covered and discussed on the Pakistani news media. The government wanted to limit the media coverage of Chaudhry's rallies and asked the Supreme Court to warn news networks that any "media coverage, discussion and analysis" that impeded legal procedures would be treated as
contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the co ...
. The court issued a statement in which it said the news media, particularly
Geo TV Jang Media Group (), also known as Geo Group, is a Pakistani media conglomerate and a subsidiary of Dubai-based company Independent Media Corporation. It has headquarters in Printing House, Karachi. It is the publisher of the Urdu language new ...
host Kamran Khan, had broadcast "sensational reporting aimed at scandalising and maligning the honourable judges of the Supreme Court". Khan defended his actions by saying he had no malicious intent. But when discussions of the Chaudhry's rallies persisted on television, the government decided to take drastic measures and abruptly pulled Geo TV and
Aaj TV () is a 24-hour Pakistani news television channel. It is a privately owned Urdu language Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language an ...
off air. It wasn't until 9 May 2007 that the Pakistani government imposed a complete ban on the media from discussing the suspension of Chaudhry by Musharraf. Media outlets and journalists protested and responded to the ban saying that their goal was to cover, not contribute, to the controversy. The government, reluctantly, agreed to issue special passes for reporters and lawyers to attend the presidential reference filed against the chief justice. Several pro-government parties throughout Pakistan announced their own demonstrations to coincide with Chaudhry's rallies.


Chaudhry's visit to Lahore High Court

In anticipation of the former chief justice's arrival in Lahore, the Lahore High Court was thronged by political activists of several political parties in the opposition including
Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is a political party in Pakistan and one of the three major List of political parties in Pakistan, Pakistani political parties alongside the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. With a Cent ...
(PPP),
Pakistan Muslim League (N) The Pakistan Muslim League (N) or (PML(N)) is a Centre-right politics, centre-right, Conservatism in Pakistan, conservative political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third-largest party in the Senate of Pakistan, Senate and the larges ...
(PML-N),
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal The Muttahida Majlis–e–Amal (MMA; Urdu: , ) is a political alliance consisting of conservative, Islamist, Religion in Pakistan, religious, and right-wing parties of Pakistan. Naeem Siddiqui (the founder of Tehreek e Islami) proposed such a ...
(MMA) and
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is a political party in Pakistan established in 1996 by cricketer and politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The party is led by Gohar Ali Khan since late 2023. ...
(PTI), who had gathered to welcome the judge. When Chaudhry did arrive at the Lahore High Court, his motorcade was swamped by supporters showering his vehicle with rose petals and chanting "Go Musharraf, Go!" Banners denouncing Musharraf were hung all around the compound. In his historical speech on 6 May 2007, the former chief justice made no direct references to president Musharraf but directed his rhetoric towards the government by calling it a "dictatorship". Several political commentators refer to this speech as the precursor to the
Lawyers' Movement The Lawyers' Movement (), also known as the Movement for the Restoration of Judiciary or the Black Coat Protests, was the popular mass protest movement initiated by the lawyers of Pakistan in response to the former president and army chief Pervez ...
later that year. Chaudhry also accused the government of violating the basic human rights of its citizens and warned that the countries and nations that don't learn from past mistakes were bound to be destroyed. In closing his speech, Chaudhry announced he would be attending a Sindh High Court Bar Association meeting in
Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
on 12 May 2007.


Opposition plans to welcome Chaudhry

After Chaudhry announced his plans for Karachi, the political parties in the opposition announced a rally to welcome the former chief justice in their city. Upon seeing Chaudhry's supporters announce a rally to welcome the chief justice, the pro-government Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) organised a protest demonstration of their own against the "politicisation of the issue f the justice's suspension. Seeing the chief justice's determination to visit Karachi, MQM MNA Nawab Mirza proclaimed in a parliamentary session that "no one
ould Ould is an English surname as well as an element of many Arabic names. In Arabic contexts it is a transliteration of the word wikt:ولد, ولد, meaning "son". Notable people with this surname include: English surname * Edward Ould (1852–190 ...
be allowed to do anything in Karachi." He said that " hecountry ay belongto everyone, but Karachi elongedto he MQM. The provincial government called a meeting of the senior officials and instructed them to not let the chief justice leave the airport at any cost. Sindh chief secretary Shakil Durrani learnt of these plans and called them a "contempt of the High Court's orders". On 10 May 2007, Pakistan International Human Rights Organisation filed a petition with the Sindh High Court pointing out reports in the press about Sindh home secretary Ghulam M. Muhtaram Naqvi's letter to the chief justice that requested him to postpone his visit because of intelligence reports suggesting threat of a terrorist attack. The court directed the federal and provincial governments to provide fool-proof security to the chief justice and also directed authorities not to pressurise him into changing his route while also keeping him informed of any security risks.


Unrest before Chaudhry's visit

At on 10 May 2007, the residence of the Supreme Court Bar Association president Munir A. Malik came under attack by armed men. Malik, a member of the panel of lawyers defending Chaudhry, narrowly escaped the attack. On 11 May 2007, Karachi Bar Association vice president Ziauddin Sardar was reported missing by his family. Following these incidents, uncertainty and fear gripped the city as the "threat of a showdown loomed large". Karachi Police informed it had arrested 150 people under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance on apprehensions they could "create problems" on the judge's arrival. However, opposition parties disputed the number of arrests – MMA put the figure at 500, PPP at 400 and PML-N at 150.


The day of the riots

Fearing a showdown between rival political parties, the transporters in the city decided to keep their buses and vans off the road. In a late-night announcement, the
Sindh government The Government of Sindh () () is the provincial government of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Its powers and structure are set out in the provisions of the 1973 Constitution, in which 30 Districts of 7 Divisions under its authority and juri ...
announced the closure of all educational institutions as
governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Dr Ishrat-ul-Ibad Khan declared a public holiday for government and private schools, colleges and universities on 12 May 2007. Hospitals declared emergency and ordered their doctors and staff to remain on duty, while
Naib Nazim Subahdar, also known as Nazim, was one of the designations of a governor of a Subah (province) during the Khalji dynasty of Bengal, Mamluk dynasty, Khalji dynasty, Tughlaq dynasty, and the Mughal era who was alternately designated as Sahib-i-Su ...
a
Nasreen Jalil Nasreen Jalil () (born: 22 February 1944, Lahore) is a Pakistani politician and a senior leader of the MQM-P. She served as a member of the Senate of Pakistan from Sindh from 2012 to 2018. Previously, she served as the Deputy Mayor of Karachi ...
directed all city departments including hospitals and fire-brigade to follow "
standard operating procedure A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a set of step-by-step instructions compiled by an organization to help workers carry out routine operations. SOPs aim to achieve efficiency, quality output, and uniformity of performance, while reducing mis ...
" to deal with any emergency situation that arises.


City-wide blockades set up

Reports started emerging from around Karachi of blockades being set up on the way toward the
Jinnah International Airport Jinnah International Airport () , formerly Drigh Road Airport or Karachi International Airport, is Pakistan's busiest international and domestic airport, and handled 7,267,582 passengers in 2017–2018. Located in Karachi, the largest city a ...
in a bid to stop the chief justice from visiting Muhammad Ali Jinnah's
mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...
. Parts of Shahrah-e-Quaideen were blocked whereas the main arterial road
Shahrah-e-Faisal Shahrah-e-Faisal, founded as Drigh Road, is a boulevard in Karachi that runs , from the Bhutto Underpass near Hotel Metropole in central Karachi, to Star Gate near Jinnah International Airport, where it becomes N-5 National Highway.
, which was to be used by procession of the chief justice, was completely made inaccessible. Because most of the road leading to the airport were closed, the
Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines, commonly known as PIA, is the flag carrier of Pakistan. With its primary hub at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, the airline also operates from its secondary hubs at Allama Iqbal International Airport ...
(PIA) had to delay all its flight due to the non-availability of cockpit and cabin crews who were unable to reach the airport in time. It wasn't just air traffic that was suspended but train services between Karachi and the rest of the country were also effected.


Chaudhry's arrival in Karachi

At , Chaudhry left Islamabad airport on flight PK-301 for Karachi accompanied by Zamurad Khan and Yousuf Talpur. The flight landed at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi airport at . Gunfights broke out throughout the city as soon as the plane landed at the airport; several vehicles were also set ablaze. Smoke rose from at least four different areas of the city where competing rallies were organised. The chief justice had plans to visit Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah's mausoleum to address a gathering and then to the Sindh High Court to address lawyers at the 50th anniversary of the Sindh High Court Bar Association. Due to the sudden violence that erupted throughout the city, the chief justice was unable to leave the airport.


Media offices attacked

As the violence escalated, gunfights moved toward the Guru Mandir Square in the neighbourhood of
Jamshed Quarters Jamshed Quarters () is a residential neighborhood in the Karachi East district of Karachi, Pakistan. It is administered as part of Jamshed Town, which was disbanded in 2011 before being restored in early 2022. Demography Several ethnic grou ...
. The offices of various media outlets, in particular the Business Recorder House which housed the Aaj TV newsroom and broadcast operations, became firsthand witnesses of the carnage. With the violence continuing right at their doorstep, Aaj TV reporters began telecasting live footage of the mayhem. The Aaj TV footage showed armed men brandishing weapons that they fired indiscriminately at rivals in an adjacent neighbourhood. The footage clearly showed these gunmen hoisting MQM flags. As soon as the footage started airing on television, the gunmen became aware they were being filmed and turned their guns towards the media offices. The armed men fired at the office building and set cars ablaze in the parking lot beside the building. The network's chief executive Arshad Zuberi later revealed that the gunmen were certainly affiliated with the MQM. He stated that the "gunmen started iringindiscriminately at heoffice ndno security was sent
ven Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It comprises an area of , and its popul ...
though the firing went on for six hours". According to Zuberi, the armed men had wanted to stop the airing of the live footage. Nevertheless, the network remained on air uninterrupted and no one was hurt during the attacks. In an editorial for the
Daily Times ''Daily Times'' may refer to the following national newspapers: * ''Daily Times'' (Nigeria), newspaper published in Nigeria * ''Daily Times'' (Pakistan), newspaper published in Pakistan ''The Daily Times'' may refer to the following newspapers: * ...
, freelance journalist Urooj Zia wrote an eyewitness account of the carnage outside the Business Recorder House. She observed how the
Rangers A ranger is typically someone in a law enforcement or military/paramilitary role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called "ranging" or "scouting". The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with prot ...
paramilitary force had let the violence continue under their noses. She mentioned how people were being stopped at gunpoint on the street by political activists and asked for identification while the police stood by idly.


Violence, carnage and mayhem

During the rampage, it was mostly the supporters of Chaudhry who lost their lives. 15 members of
Awami National Party The Awami National Party (ANP; , ; lit. ''People's National Party'') is a Pashtun nationalist, secular and leftist political party in Pakistan. The party was founded by Abdul Wali Khan in 1986 and its current president is Aimal Wali Khan, g ...
(ANP) were killed (Pashtuns make up second largest ethnic group in Karachi with 7.0 million Pashtuns living in Karachi). 14 supporters of PPP were also left dead in the massacre. More than 800 political workers were arrested, majority of whom were members of labor and student organizations that had been planning to greet Chaudhry on his arrival.


Government offers to transport Chaudhry

Unable to leave the airport, the chief justice took refuge at the airport. Knowing that roads leading up to the airport were blocked and that his leaving may further precipitate bloodshed, Chaudhry's advisers asked him to stay put. Amidst the chaos, the government agreed to send a helicopter to transport him out of the airport but Chaudhry refused, indicating that he wished to travel by ground. According to Munir A. Malik, one of the lawyers accompanying Chaudhry, Musharraf's offer to transport Chaudhry by helicopter seemed more like an attempt to "kidnap" the chief justice.


Notice to deport the chief justice

After a whole day of violence in the city, the Sindh administration issued a notification in the evening ordering the deportation of the chief justice. It was at this moment that Chaudhry "abandoned plans to address issupporters" and returned to Islamabad on the next flight. The chief justice was adamant that he would only leave the airport if he was provided with sufficient security and the accompaniment of his cadre of lawyers. Chaudhry's flight departed the Karachi airport at around . According to
Aitzaz Ahsan Chaudhary Aitzaz Ahsan ( Punjabi, ; born 27 September 1945) is a Pakistani politician and lawyer. He served as the Leader of the House in the Senate of Pakistan from 1994 to 1996, and as the Leader of the Opposition from 1996 till 2000 and agai ...
, a prominent figurehead in Chaudhry's cadre, the chief justice had waited all day for permission to go to the Sindh High Court but was rather mistreated and asked to leave. He also accused the MQM of planning the mayhem in advance.


Sources of contention

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...
, a non-government affiliated human rights watch dog based in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, issued a statement indicating that "This iolencecan either be due to the incompetence of the government, or its complicity." Their statement went on, "The sequence of events leading up to this violence, including statements from the provincial authorities and the arrest of hundreds of opposition activists in the last few days, indicates that the government, acting through its coalition partners, has deliberately sought to foment violence in Karachi." According to documents obtained by the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
after the event, government security measures on the day of the planned demonstrations included the instruction that "no police personnel should carry any kind of weapon during the law and order duty with the rally". Of note, among police officials were deployed for security duties in Karachi, only 21 in the entire city were armed. BBC analysts have indicated that the way police were deployed indicates that they were meant to prevent people from gaining access to the airport or to the Sindh High Court.


Aftermath

Most of the city remained calm the day following the riots as security forces in armored personnel carriers and pickup trucks with mounted machine guns patrolled mostly peaceful and deserted streets. Tensions were still high with the government authorising paramilitary troops to shoot anyone involved in "serious" violence. Political opponents in the parliament blamed one another for the 12 May mayhem. MQM's
Farooq Sattar Muhammad Farooq Sattar (; born 9 April 1959) is a Pakistani politician who is the Senior Deputy Convenor of the MQM-P. Born in Karachi, Sattar was educated at the Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi. Sattar began his political career in 1 ...
blamed the opposition by saying that they were a "hundred percent, 200 percent" responsible for the situation in Karachi. On the other hand, opposition senator
Mushahid Ullah Khan Mushahid Ullah Khan (Urdu:) (30 November 1952 – 18 February 2021) was a Pakistani politician who served as Minister for Climate Change, in Abbasi cabinet from August 2017 to May 2018. A leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), Khan had been a ...
held the MQM responsible for the attacks in Karachi.
National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...
senator and senior vice president
Hasil Bizenjo Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo (3 February 1958 – 20 August 2020; Urdu: میر حاصل خان بزنجو) was a Pakistani politician who served as Minister for Maritime Affairs, in Abbasi cabinet from August 2017 to May 2018. He previously served a ...
underscored the need for an inquiry into the incidents. An editorial in the ''
Daily Times ''Daily Times'' may refer to the following national newspapers: * ''Daily Times'' (Nigeria), newspaper published in Nigeria * ''Daily Times'' (Pakistan), newspaper published in Pakistan ''The Daily Times'' may refer to the following newspapers: * ...
'' said, "the possibility of any compromise to correct usharraf'soriginal mistake f removing the chief justicehas vanished now ... the ante has been upped by the government."


Killing of Syed Hammad Raza

At around on 13 May 2007, Supreme Court additional registrar Syed Hammad Raza was shot dead near his home in Islamabad. Raza was a close associate of Chaudhry and a vital witness in the case against Chaudhry's suspension. After leaving Karachi, the chief justice visited Raza's widow Shabana the same night to present his condolences.
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
reported Shabana telling Chaudhry, "You called him to Islamabad. You should have protected him, and now my children need protection as well." According to Chaudhry's lawyer Tariq Mehmood, Raza was a prime witness in the case as he had witnessed the removal of files from the chief justice's chambers on the day of his suspension. He said that "
aza Aza or AZA may refer to: Places *Aza, Azerbaijan, a village and municipality *Azadkənd, Nakhchivan or Lower Aza, Azerbaijan *Aza, medieval name of Haza, Province of Burgos, Spain *Aźa, a Tibetan name for the Tuyuhun kingdom *Aza, a Hebrew roman ...
was under pressure."


Nationwide protests

On 13 May 2007, opposition parties observed a "black day" and called for a general strike in Punjab on 14 May 2007. The leaders of PPP, PML-N, MMA, PTI, ANP, PMAP, and the Khaksar Tehrik called for action against the miscreants that spread violence on 12 May calling them "killers". The Punjab leadership of the MMA held the Sindh government responsible for the loss of lives. The 14 May strikes in Lahore paralysed the city as opposition activists protested against the government response to the riots. 8,000 people, including lawyers and human rights activists, chanted "Out with Musharraf!" and "Death to Altaf Hussain!" In addition, protestors burned
effigies An effigy is a sculptural representation, often life-size, of a specific person or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certain ...
of Musharraf and hundreds forced their way through a police barricade. Authorities responded by banning demonstrations and declaring a national holiday. Shops were closed and public transportation was shut down in the country's major cities. It is the largest strike in Pakistan since Musharraf assumed his presidency in 1999, with much of the unrest stemming from news reports that government troops were in Karachi.


Arrest of Rana Saleemullah Khan

At a press conference on 14 May 2007, Sindh chief minister Dr. Arbab Ghulam Rahim assured that the situation in Karachi was under control and that there had been no serious incidents of violence in the days following the initial 12 May riots, despite fears to the contrary. The chief minister also indicated that opposition parties had not sought permission from the provincial government to hold their rallies on 12 May 2007. He also said the
general elections A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...
would be held as scheduled in a few months and accused the opposition of showing impatience in that regard. Rahim also revealed that the police had arrested former DIG Rana Saleemullah Khan on court orders. Khan had been a vocal advocate of the chief justice and was Chaudhry's witness with regards to the Mannu Bheel case. He was one of the two witnesses in that case, alongside the recently killed Syed Hammad Raza. Khan feared that his arrest was a
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and a sham, and that he could become another victim of
extrajudicial killing An extrajudicial killing (also known as an extrajudicial execution or an extralegal killing) is the deliberate killing of a person without the lawful authority granted by a judicial proceeding. It typically refers to government authorities, ...
. There had been several reports that Khan was humiliated after his arrest.


Abduction of Iqbal Kazmi

On 3 June 2007, the government announced that it would impose a ban on any televised live talk show that discusses the issue of the chief justice's suspension. It threatened to take punitive action against broadcasters that displayed an anti-state or anti-national stance and cast "aspersions on the integrity of the armed forces". Under Musharraf's decree, the government amended the PEMRA Ordinance to impose these new restrictions on private television channels on 4 June 2007. Opposition parties and lawyers campaigned against these amendments and observed a "black day" in solidarity with the broadcasters and journalists. Amongst the petitioners was the civil rights activist Syed Mohammad Iqbal Kazmi who had recently filed a petition in the Sindh High Court on 12 May violence. Kazmi was abducted by unidentified persons on 6 June 2007 after he had filed his petition against the PEMRA ordinance. He was later released by his abductors on the condition that he would leave Karachi along with his family. However upon his release, Kazmi revealed that the reason for his abduction was rather his petition on the 12 May violence. He told of his harrowing ordeal where he was quizzed about his association with Imran Khan's PTI and the reasons as to why he named MQM founder and chief Altaf Hussain in his petition. His petition had also included the names of several other major political and government figures as respondents alongside Hussain. The named respondents included Sindh chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim, federal interior secretary Syed Kamal Shah, adviser to Sindh CM on home affairs Waseem Akhtar, chief secretary Shakeel Durrani, home secretary Ghulam M. Muhtaram Naqvi, provincial police officer Niaz A. Siddiqui, CCPO Azhar A. Farooqui, and the
SHO Sho, Shō or SHO may refer to: Music * ''Shō'' (instrument) (笙), a Japanese wind instrument * ''Kane'' (instrument) (鉦), a Japanese percussion instrument * Sho?, a Dubai rock band People * Shō (given name), including ''Sho'' * Shō (su ...
s of City Courts and Jamshed Quarters police stations.


Formal inquisition

Alongside Kazmi's petition, the Sindh High Court initiated its own suo moto proceedings issuing contempt of court notices to the federal interior secretary, Sindh chief secretary and home secretary, AIGP (acting PPO), Town Police Officer and other officials who were responsible for maintaining law and order on 12 May 2007. Subsequently, the
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP; ) is an independent, democratic non-profit organisation. Founded in 1987, it is one of the oldest human rights organisations in the country. HRCP is committed to monitoring, protecting and prom ...
(HRCP) also moved an identical contempt of court application. A seven-member bench was constituted to preside over the case. The bench included justices
Sarmad Jalal Osmany Sarmad Jalal Osmany (; 13 October 1950 – 21 April 2025) was a Pakistani jurist who served as a chief justice of the Sindh High Court. Background Osmany was born on 13 October 1950 in Lahore. He received his early education from St. Anthony's ...
, Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Mushir Alam, Azizullah M. Memon, Khilji Arif Hussain, Maqbool Baqar, and Ali Sain Dino Metlo, who were authorised to probe into the several issues that resulted in the 12 May bloodshed. No main culprit in this case was ever arrested.


See also

*
Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry (; born 12 December 1948) is a Pakistani jurist who served as the 20th Chief Justice of Pakistan over three non-consecutive terms from 29 June 2005 to 11 December 2013. Chaudhry began practice as an advocate of the S ...
*
Awami National Party The Awami National Party (ANP; , ; lit. ''People's National Party'') is a Pashtun nationalist, secular and leftist political party in Pakistan. The party was founded by Abdul Wali Khan in 1986 and its current president is Aimal Wali Khan, g ...
* Muttahida Qaumi Movement *
Pervez Musharraf Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani general and politician who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Prior to his career in politics, he was a four-star general and appointed as ...
* Altaf Hussain *
Jinnah International Airport Jinnah International Airport () , formerly Drigh Road Airport or Karachi International Airport, is Pakistan's busiest international and domestic airport, and handled 7,267,582 passengers in 2017–2018. Located in Karachi, the largest city a ...
* Aaj Television Network *
Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is a political party in Pakistan and one of the three major List of political parties in Pakistan, Pakistani political parties alongside the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. With a Cent ...
*
2019 Ghotki riots On September 15, 2019, in Ghotki city of Sindh province of Pakistan, a large number of extremist Muslims desecrated three Hindu temples, a private school and attacked shops and houses belonging to the Hindu community over the allegation of blasph ...
*
MQM Militancy MQM militancy refers to militancy in Pakistan associated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement party. History Rise (1978–1992) The ancestor of the MQM was the All Pakistan Muttahidda Students Organization (APMSO), drew its support from muhajir de ...


References


External links

*
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry Blog
' {{DEFAULTSORT:2007 Karachi Riots Politics of Karachi Riots and civil disorder in Pakistan
Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
Karachi riots Muhajir history 2000s in Karachi History of Karachi (1947–present) Ethnic riots Race riots in Pakistan May 2007 in Pakistan 2007 in Pakistani politics 2000s political riots