Culprits provided protection with misguiding FIR: factory fire case verdict
- By Web Desk -
- Sep 11, 2023
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) in its written judgment of Baldia factory fire case expressed disappointment over faulty investigation and summoned report from the authorities.
“Actual culprits were provided protection with a misguiding FIR. Fear forced witnesses to stay away, the police avoided to bring the issue of extortion in the light,” the verdict read.
“Certainly, the decision of setting the factory alight was not taken without approval of the top leadership of the MQM,” the court observed. “The police neglected this key angle in the probe.”
“Meetings of MQM Karachi Tanzeemi Committee (KTC) were used to be held at the party’s nine-zero office. Hammad Siddiqui has been a proclaimed offender and fled abroad but he was not brought back,” court said.
The court summoned report about the steps taken for bringing Hammad Siddiqui back to home. It ordered the home secretary and IG Sindh to appear before the court with report on September 18.
“The inquiry commission also avoided to examine the cause of the deadly fire. The deaths were mourned but no steps taken to curb the incidents,” court remarked.
“By coincidence JIT of Rizwan Qureshi came to surface three years after the incident, otherwise the accused would have escaped after committing gruesome crime,” the bench observed.
“Police failed to investigate properly and levelled allegations against factory owners and departments about lack of safety measures thus avoided from its responsibility,” bench said.
The court ordered all factory owners about proper compliance of the SOPs, while directed Sindh government to conduct inspection of all factories and compile a report of safety measures in factories.