Baldia Factory Fire Case: ATC to announce verdict on Sept 22

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) will now announce the verdict in the high profile Baldia factory fire case on September 22. 

The announcement of a delay in the verdict was shortly made after a special public prosecutor had hinted that the ruling may be made public later today (Thursday). 

The special public prosecutor earlier said a decision had been reserved back on September 2 after the completion of arguments from various parties.

MQM leader Rauf Siddiqui, who is out on bail, and Dr Abdul Sattar — the adopted son of PSP’s Anees Qaimkhani who is accused in the case, were among those presented at the hearing today.

The victims of the Baldia Factory Fire Case have been waiting for justice for the past 8 years of the horrific incident.

Over 260 people were killed in the blazing fire at the garments factory on 11 September 2012, in Pakistan’s financial capital.

Ten accused have been charged with setting ablaze the factory include, then-provincial minister for commerce and industries Rauf Siddiqui, MQM’s then Badia Town sector in-charge Abdul Rehman alias Bhola, Zubair alias Charya, Hyderabad-based businessmen Dr. Abdul Sattar Khan, Umar Hasan Qadri, Iqbal Adeeb Khanum, and the factory’s four gatekeepers — Shahrukh, Fazal Ahmed, Arshad Mehmood, and Ali Mohammad.

The above have been alleged to have acted on the instructions of the then chief of MQM’s Karachi Tanzeemi Committee, Hammad Siddiqui, over the non-payment of Rs250 million ‘protection money’ by the factory’s owners.

Former MQM sector in-charges Abdul Rahman, alias Bhola, and Zubair, alias Charya, have been arrested in the case.

Bhola, who confessed to the crime before a judicial magistrate, was arrested in December 2016 from Bangkok with the help of the International Criminal Police Organization.

Meanwhile, Hammad Siddiqui and businessman Ali Hasan Qadri have been declared proclaimed offenders in the case, as both are reportedly in hiding abroad.