Police name Hammad Siddiqui as prime suspect in fourth charge sheet of Baldia fire

Red warrant issued for former KTC incharge, two others

KARACHI: Police submitted on Wednesday the fourth charge sheet in the Baldia factory fire case before an anti-terrorism court, incriminating political activist Hammad Siddiqui as a suspected arsonist.

Accepting the charge sheet, the ATC-II judge issued the non-bailable warrants for Siddiqui’s arrest, along with two others. The former KTC chief is said to have fled abroad, therefore, the court also asked the police to approach the relevant authorities to get red warrants for his arrest in other countries.



The fire at Ali Enterprises garments factory located in Baldia Town on September 11, 2012 left 260 people dead and injured several others. The supplementary charge sheet, 238-D/2012, was formed after Abdul Rehman alias Bhola, a former sector incharge of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) who later joined the Pak Sarzameen Party, was arrested in Bangkok by Interpol in mid-December.

A Federal Investigation Agency team brought him back to the country and then handed him over to the police. While in custody he 'confessed' before a judicial magistrate.

According to him, the fire was caused to 'teach the factory owners a lesson and inflict loss on them' over their refusal to pay extortion and give a share in profits to Hammad Siddiqui, the then head of the MQM's Karachi Tanzimi Committee.

Rehman said that Hammad had demanded Rs250 million as protection money and a share in the profits from the factory owners, the Bhailas.

When they refused, Rehman, being the adhoc incharge of MQM's Baldia Town Sector, was tasked with committing arson at the factory with the use of chemicals.

The fact that it was a planned arson was revealed in February, 2015, nearly three years after the incident. Earlier, it was deemed as an accident which turned into a tragedy due to a lack of safety measures at the factory. The factory owners were relieved of the charges.

The fourth charge sheet also read the name of MQM lawmaker Rauf Siddiqui, the then minister of industries and trade in Sindh, as a suspect who allegedly took money from the factory owners to give them relief in the criminal proceedings against them.



Umar Hasan Qadri and Ali Hasan Qadri, two businessmen brothers, Dr Abdul Sattar and Iqbal Adeeb Khanum have been named as facilitators.

Only two suspects, Rehman and Zubair alias Charya, are in custody. The Qadri brothers are on interim bail, while Rauf has also obtained protective bail, though he has not been implicated as yet despite being named. The ATC-II judge issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of Sattar, Khanum and Hammad.

The next hearing of the case has been fixed on February 14. The court has directed Rauf to join the investigation.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2017.