Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on Thursday apologised for his party’s “misjudgment” during the May 12 tragedy that saw dozens of people lose their lives to riots in Karachi.
On May 12, 2007, the deposed chief justice of the Supreme Court, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, was scheduled to visit the city and take part in a function of the Sindh High Court Bar Association. Members of civil society, including lawyers, were not allowed to reach the airport to welcome the then chief justice, thus leading to clashes between the supporters of the judge and the then-MQM activists — which was an ally of the Musharraf-led government back then. Nearly 50 people lost their lives and hundreds of others were wounded during riots on that day. Almost 15 years later, Siddiqui on Thursday expressed his regret on the incident while addressing a gathering organised by the Balochistan High Court Bar in Quetta. He conceded that the MQM’s image was tarnished in the wake of the May 12 clashes.
