Trial of Three Accused of Bombing Outside US Consulate in Karachi Delayed

The trial of three individuals accused of a bombing outside the US consulate in Karachi has been postponed once again. The trial has been delayed until September 24 at the request of the lawyers for the Pakistani government and due to a change in the prosecution team. However, the defendants' lawyers have accused the prosecutors of evasion and delay, noting that the government cannot prove that the defendants are responsible for the deaths of 12 Pakistanis and the injury of at least 20 others during the attack. If convicted, the three accused could face the death penalty for murder, attempted murder, terrorism, and conspiracy. The police have also accused the defendants of conspiring to assassinate President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan. Nevertheless, the defendants have not been formally charged with any crime. Islamabad claims that the accused are members of the Mujahideen Movement, an extremist group believed to have ties to Islamic separatists fighting against the Indian government in Kashmir.