KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday sought comments from the provincial prosecutor general and investigating officer of the Baldia factory fire case on Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM) lawmaker Rauf Siddiqui’s plea against the Anti-Terrorism Court’s (ATC) verdict of making him a part of the deadly inferno’s investigation.
The trial court on Jan 06, while granting the prosecution’s request made Siddiqui who was serving as the minister of industries and trade in Sindh at that time, a part of the investigation and asked him to cooperate with the police.
The special public prosecutor had maintained that the MQM leader had been implicated as the accused in the case despite the fact that there were sufficient pieces of evidence against him.
The MQM-P leader submitted that the supplementary charge sheet (challan) submitted to the ATC’s administrative judge had cleared him as nothing illegal was found against him. He added that the administrative judge had accepted the charge sheet proving his innocence.
Siddiqui prayed to the court to set aside the trial court decision and relieve him from the charges.
Issuing notices to the prosecutor general and investigating officer, the bench headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto sought their respective replies by February 01.
Siddiqui’s name came to light after prime suspect Abdul Rehman alias Bhola’s statement that Siddiqui had got the case registered against the factory owners. He gave the statement after his arrest from Bangkok through the Interpol.
“The MQM leader had got Rs 40 to 50 million to withdraw the case against the factory owners,” Bhola was quoted telling the police in the charge sheet; however, he had now retracted from his earlier confession.
At least 259 people were burnt alive in the fire at Ali Enterprises garments factory in Baldia Town, Karachi on September 11, 2012. It was one of the worst industrial inferno incidents in Pakistan’s history.
