Baldia factory fire: Court issues non-bailable arrest warrant of IO

A local court on Saturday issued non-bailable arrest warrant of Investigating Officer (IO) Sub-Inspector Jehanzeb for his failure to appear before it during the hearing of Baldia Town factory fire case.

In a previous hearing of the case, the investigating officer failed to bring the Joint Investigation Team’s report on record of the trial court. Following this, the court came down heavily on the officer for failing to file statements of witnesses in the case.

The judge had asked the officer to complete the statements of witnesses and file them in the court today. However, the IO failed to comply with the court’s order.

The court also expressed displeasure over the absence of the IO from hearing and subsequently issued his non-bailable arrest warrant. It also ordered contempt proceedings against the sub-inspector and ordered for his salary to be discontinued. Meanwhile, factory owner Abdul Aziz Bhaila and his two sons, Arshad Bhaila and Shahid Bhaila, who have been booked for the tragic incident, also failed to appear in court. Their counsel informed the court that their clients could not appear on medical grounds.

The three accused were also absent on previous hearing of the case during which the court had ordered the production of their medical certificates. However, the medical certificates were not produced on Saturday’s hearing either.

The court ordered the appearance of three men at the next hearing saying failure to do so would result in issuance of arrest warrants against them. The court subsequently adjourned the matter to March 7.

It may be mentioned that earlier this week, special prosecutor Shazia Hanjra had separated herself from the Baldia Town case saying that investigating authorities had not been cooperating with her and that IO Jehanzeb had given a no objection certificate to the factory owners’ bail application. She said the IO had still not given her a copy of the case’s investigation documents.

The Baldia Town factory inferno case took a dramatic turn last week when a report by Rangers claimed that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement was behind the deadly fire that claimed the lives of at least 258 factory workers.