Baldia fire case: Counsels complete cross-examination of last witness

Court will record the statements of the accused at the next hearing

KARACHI: The Baldia factory fire case entered its last phase following the completion of cross-examination of the last witness, Inspector Raja Jahangir's statement, by the accused's counsels on Thursday.

The counsels cross-questioned the witness in the special anti-terrorism court (ATC) no. 7 at Karachi Central Jail.

"You declared Rauf Siddiqui and others, including four employees of the factory, innocent in the case," said one of the counsels, Advocate Abid Zaman, addressing Jahangir. At this, Jahangir admitted to declaring Siddqui and others innocent, saying that substantial evidence to prove the crime against them was not found.

At the last hearing, Jahangir had said in his statement to the court that he had arrested Zubair Charya and Rehman alias Bhola, two of the accused in the case, in 2016. He had further informed the court that Rehman had confessed to the crime while recording his statement before a judicial magistrate under section 164.

'Six years after Baldia factory fire, working conditions still not changed'

Both Charya and Rehman were presented before the court by jail officials. The court will record their statements at the next hearing.

Special public prosecutor for the case, Sajid Mehboob Shaikh, also appeared before the court.

He filed a plea stating that all witnesses have been presented before the court and all documents and evidence pertaining to the case have been submitted to the court. The plea further mentions that so far, since February 2017, ATC no.7 has recorded the statement of 400 witnesses.

The court accepted his plea and adjourned the hearing till December 5.

Later, Sajid Mehboob Shaikh told The Express Tribune that two of the accused in the case, including Muttahida Qaumi Movement's Hammad Siddiqui, are on the run. He said that the court has recorded the statements of 400 witnesses out of the total 786 included in the case and statements of the remaining 386 witnesses have been made a part of the record on the basis of their similarity with the other recorded statements. The witnesses whose statements have been recorded include eyewitnesses, police officials, victims, chemical examiners and forensic experts, said Shaikh.

Baldia factory fire: The case in review

Acquitted

Meanwhile, another ATC acquitted a man accused in a case of a police encounter, attempt to murder and ammunition and illegal weapons. Accused Tashfin was acquitted due to a lack of evidence.

During the hearing, his counsel, Advocate Abid Zaman maintained that accusations levelled against Tashfin are baseless and said that the witnesses' statements, presented by the prosecutor, contradict each other.

According to police, a case against Tashfin was registered at Sharafi Goth Police Station. 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2019.