Hammad Siddiqui brought to Karachi from UAE

FIA, Sindh govt and police still not aware of Siddiqui’s repatriation

KARACHI: Hammad Siddiqui, a prime suspect in the country’s deadliest conflagration incident, has reportedly been brought back to Karachi, a source in the Dubai told The Express Tribune. Siddiqui was wanted by Pakistan in the 2012 Baldia factory fire incident, in which over 250 people had died.

“Hammad Siddiqui was handed over to the Pakistani authorities yesterday [Thursday] and has already been brought back to Karachi,” a source privy to the matter claimed.

“Siddiqui was detained at the Dubai Police Headquarters and was recently moved to Abu Dhabi from where his custody was given to the Pakistani authorities,” he added.

The source claimed that Siddiqui was not handed over to the Pakistan through legal process which usually takes at least two months; but Interpol handed him to the Pakistani authorities because of the mutual coordination.

“Siddiqui’s arrest is likely to be disclosed like Lyari’s kingpin Uzair Baloch in the coming weeks or months as he has been shifted to a ‘safe house’,” he added.

There were reports that two senior officials – Deputy Director Badar Baloch and Inspector Rehmatullah Domki of the Counter-Terrorism wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) were likely to go to Dubai to take his custody. However, FIA officials are unaware about his arrival.



“We have no idea about Siddiqui’s repatriation. It is not necessary for the FIA officials to go and take someone’s custody. Sometimes the UAE police and other countries bring a suspect to Pakistan and hand him over to the FIA at a Pakistani airport,” said a senior FIA official.

Sindh government was also clueless about Siddiqui’s status. “It is confirmed that he was arrested in Dubai but it has yet to be ascertained whether or not he has been handed over to the Pakistani authorities or brought back to the country,” said Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Shah.

“I am looking for his whereabouts and could say nothing about his status until I got authentic confirmation,” he told The Express Tribune. The police investigators probing the Baldia factory fire also said they had not been informed about Siddiqui’s repatriation.

“It could be possible but we have not received confirmation and nobody has handed him over to us so far,” said District West Investigations SSP Zeeshan Siddiqui who is dealing with the case.

Interestingly, the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) Chairman Mustafa Kamal while speaking to the media on Thursday claimed that the fire in Baldia Town factory resulted from a short circuit.

He had also blamed former Sindh governor Ishratul Ibad for painting a false picture of the incident and labeling it as a conspiracy and willful terrorism.



Siddiqui, once considered a symbol of ‘terror’, was the longest serving head of the Karachi Tanzeemi Committee (KTC), a very important and influential body of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). His role was said to be instrumental in expanding the MQM's influence in Karachi.

He was sacked on May 21, 2013 when MQM founder Altaf Hussain dissolved the KTC for violating party discipline. Shortly after his sacking, he left for Dubai with airport agencies panicked by his sudden departure.

Two more suspects in Baldia factory fire, Rehman Bhola and Zubair Charya have already been arrested. On December 19, 2016 Bhola told an anti-terrorism court that Siddiqui sought extortion and shares in the Baldia Factory, and upon refusal, ordered to set the factory on fire.

After the hearing, the ATC had also issued red warrants for Siddiqui. The authority is seeking Interpol to arrest him and bring him in the country for further investigation and legal proceedings.