Baldia factory fire case: ‘Put Hammad Siddiqui, Abdul Rehman on ECL’

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) directed the police on Friday to approach the authorities to put two former Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) activists on the Exit Control List (ECL) for their alleged involvement in the Baldia factory fire.

The ATC-II judge asked the investigating officer to write to the interior ministry to include the names of former MQM Karachi Tanzimi Committee chief Hammad Siddiqui and former Baldia Town sector incharge Abdul Rehman alias Bhola in the ECL. They are alleged to have set the factory on fire over non-payment of extortion.



Two-hundred-and-sixty labourers died in the fire at Ali Enterprises garments factory on September 11, 2012. Despite being one of the deadliest industrial disasters, the case has seen many delays due to the ever-changing investigations.

According to the police, Siddiqui demanded Rs200 million in extortion from the factory owners and, over refusal, ordered his subordinate, Rehman, to set the factory on fire.



The direction to check these people's possible attempt to escape from the country was given after the police told the court that they remained unable to trace their locations and submitted that they might have gone into hiding.

The police have been asked to submit a compliance report by the next hearing of the case on November 7.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2016.