KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court hearing into Baldia factory fire case on Wednesday rejected a bail application of Abdul Rehman alias Bhola, a former sector-in-charge of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).
The prime accused in the Karachi’s Baldia Town factory fire tragedy, Rehman Bhola, has confessed to setting ablaze a factory four years ago which claimed the lives of more than 250 people.
Recently, the suspect moved the court, saying that he didn’t confess to setting ablaze the factory under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
He submitted that the statement was gleaned under duress and requested the court to allow his application seeking to withdraw the confession.
Bhola was brought back to Pakistan by a two-member team of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from Bangkok. He had been arrested by Thai Interpol on December 2, 2016. He also confessed to his involvement in the murder of 14 people.
The suspect had recorded the confession before judicial magistrate Abid Ali Lakho.
He confessed that he with Zubair, alias Charya, set the factory ablaze on the instructions of then chief of the MQM organising committee Hammad Siddiqui after the factory owners declined to pay the protection money.
A factory in Karachi’s Baldia Town was set on fire in 2012 and a report of Pakistan Rangers revealed later on that a political party was involved in the incident.
The government also formed a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to thoroughly investigate the incident, which had later made startling revelations.
“The fire that had engulfed the factory was an outcome of a pre-planned scheme and that it was no accident,” revealed the JIT report. “The factory was set ablaze over non-payment of Bhatta – protection money.”
According to the media reports, the JIT report stated that Bhola and Hammad Siddiqui had demanded Rs 200 million extortion money from owners of the factory.
