PTI ask SHC to unveil reports on Baldia fire, Uzair Baloch

Says non-publication of reports defeats their very purpose of uncovering crimes

KARACHI: The PTI has approached the Sindh High Court (SHC) for publication of the reports compiled after inquiries into the high profile criminal activities, allegedly committed with involvement of the politicians in the province.

The PTI’s Ali Haider Zaidi on Tuesday filed a petition, seeking to make public the reports prepared after probe into Baldia factory fire incident, activities of Uzair Jan Baloch – chief of the now defunct Peoples Amn Committee, and the former chairperson of the Fishermen Cooperative Society, Nisar Morai.



He said the print and electronic media had reported that during their investigations, the joint investigation teams (JITs) had obtained evidence suggesting the involvement of various politicians in these crimes, adding that it was imperative that such persons be held accountable for their actions.

The petitioner argued that families of the victims of the Lyari gang war, Baldia fire as well as the crimes committed by Morai deserve justice. “However, due to concealment of the JIT reports, they are unaware of the culprits involved in these crimes,” he added.

The PTI leader said the Lahore High Court (LHC) had already ordered the Punjab government to make public the report of Justice Ali Baqar Najafi on June 2014 killing of 14 Pakistan Awami Tehreek workers during a police crackdown in Lahore’s Model Town area.



“The failure of the Sindh authorities to make public the JIT reports on Baldia factory fire, [and activities of] Uzair Baloch and Nisar Morai is a violation of the right to information guaranteed under the Article 19-A of the Constitution,” the petitioner said.

He said non-publication of the investigation reports had defeated their very purpose of uncovering these crimes and requested the court to direct the provincial authorities to make these reports public and also to provide official copies of the reports.