Karachi, Nov 30: The trial of five Pakistanis charged in a deadly bomb attack outside the US consulate in Karachi adjourned today after the chief prosecutor failed to show, a defence lawyer said.

"The presiding judge adjourned the case till December 18 as the chief public prosecutor did not appear to present the case," defence lawyer Abdul Waheed Katpar said. The five suspects face the death penalty for charges of murder, attempted murder, aiding and abetting, use of explosives and terrorism in the June 14 attack, waged by a suicide bomber in an explosives-packed vehicle. Twelve Pakistanis were killed.
Police say suspects Mohammad Ashraf, Mohammad Imran Bhai, Hanif Ayub, Sharib and Zubair Ahmed belong to the Harkatul Mujahedin al-Alaami organisation, an offshoot of militant outfit Harkatul Mujahedin which is active in Jammu and Kashmir. The case has been riddled with delays. Ashraf, Bhai and Ayub were initially charged in August and their trial began, but a retrial was ordered after the arrest of the two other suspects in September.
All of the accused were formally charged on November 8.
At the most recent hearing, less than a fortnight ago, new chief prosecutor Anwar Mansoor Khan was granted more time to study the case.
Anwar was appointed after the former chief prosecutor for southern Sindh province, Raja Qureshi, resigned on November 9.
Local media said that Qureshi quit over threats received in connection with the trial of murdered US reporter Daniel Pearl.
Bureau Report