Baldia factory fire case: MQM leader ‘colluded with accused’

ATC seeks final arguments from accused Zubair Charya's counsel

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) directed on Saturday accused Zubair Charya's counsel to present final arguments in the Baldia factory fire case at the next hearing on June 17.

The directive was issued as accused Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Rauf Siddiqui's counsel and the special public prosecutor completed their arguments, with latter praying the court to penalise Siddiqui during the hearing on Saturday at Central Jail, Karachi.

At the hearing, Siddiqui's counsel stated that his client, who had been the provincial minister for commerce and industries when the incident took place, had resigned three days after the fire broke out. The counsel also claimed that the statements of factory owners and another accused, Rehman Bhola, "were based on rumours."

Contesting the claim, however, special public prosecutor Sajid Mehboob Shaikh maintained that a case against factory owners was in fact registered on Siddiqui's insistence, following which accused Bhola was arrested and made confessions during interrogation.

He alleged that Rauf had colluded with Hammad Siddiqui, another accused in the case, and put pressure on the factory owners to settle matters with the victims' families out of court, receiving millions in return for mediating the settlement.

"One of the factory owners, Arshad Bhaila, in his statement, also told of Siddiqui's involvement in the crime," the special public prosecutor added, and moved the court to penalise Siddiqui in light of the available evidence.

The court, however, adjourned the hearing till June 17, directing Zubair Charya's counsel to present final arguments at the next hearing. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31^st, 2020.