KARACHI: In a key development in May 12 carnage case, a witness on Saturday identified two MQM London workers in court, involved in firing and violence. An anti-terrorism court conducted hearing of seven cases related to May 12, 2007 violence in Karachi in which over 50 people had been killed in attacks on rallies.

Former mayor Wasim Akhtar and other accused appeared in the case hearing. Prosecution witness Javed Abro, a sub inspector of Anti Car Lifting Cell (ACLC) identified two accused, Salman and Nasir in the courtroom adding that they had opened fire over the people near the airport.

The accused were involved in rioting on May 12 on the directives of the founder of the MQM, the witness said. "The accused were arrested in year 2016 and recorded their confessional statements in August 2016. The two accused had confessed that they were involved in the carnage and rioting on the instructions of the MQM's founder and the party's top leadership, the witness said.

The court adjourned the hearing after statement of the witness while directing the prosecution to produce more witnesses in the next hearing of the case. The court had in a previous hearing cancelled exemption order granted to Wasim Akhtar from appearing in the case hearing.

The anti-terrorism court had indicted Akhtar and other accused affiliated with Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in cases related to May 12, 2007 carnage in the port city.

The ATC indicted the accused while hearing the cases in which over 50 people had been killed in attacks on rallies of different political parties and lawyers who had tried to receive the ousted chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on May 12, 2007.