According to a member of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) DIG Sultan Khawaja, a final report regarding the Baldia Factory fire will be presented soon. However, during the initial investigation report, as per statements obtained from the factory owners, it is evident that the fire was caused as a result of a carefully planned strategy by an extortion mafia.
The JIT conducted the interrogation of factory owners Bhaila Brothers in Dubai for four days and recorded their statements in the Pakistani Council. In one month, a final report of the whole incident will be presented to the authorities.
On returning from Dubai, Sultan Khawaja revealed that important disclosures by the factory owners have aided investigation. According to him, the initial investigation reported pointed towards a particular extortion group, who had purposefully set fire to the factory.
DIG Sultan Khawaja is one of the members of the 10-member JIT which also includes DIG East Munir Sheikh, SSP Investigation Latif Siddiqui, SSP Pir Muhammad Shah, SSP SITE Sajid Sadozai and one each representative of the intelligence agencies.
The factory fire took place on the fateful night of September 11, 2012 when a ravaging blaze at a Karachi’s factory gobbled over 250 lives. The horrific blaze had erupted at a garment factory Ali Enterprises in Baldia Town which at least 258 people –mostly labourers – were burnt alive that day.
Till date, the investigations could not track the elements responsible for the fire. In April of this year, a key accused in the Baldia Factory fire incident was arrested from Karachi airport, as he was trying to flee the country.
