ATC reserves verdict in Baldia factory fire case

At least 400 witnesses have recorded statements against those accused of involvement in the blaze

KARACHI:

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) reserved on Wednesday its verdict in the Baldia factory fire case.

Hearing the case at Karachi Central Jail, ATC-7 reserved its verdict after the completion of final arguments by the parties. The judge noted that the verdict would be announced on September 17.

According to the Rangers prosecutor, the accused, including Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Rauf Siddiqui, Rehman Bhola, Zubair Charya and others, had been indicted in February, 2017, with the trial continuing for three years and seven months. He added that at least 400 witnesses had recorded their statements against the accused.

As many as 260 people were burned to death in the blaze that erupted in a garment factory in Baldia Town on September 11, 2012.

Jail sentence

Another ATC sentenced the accused, Jamaluddin, to seven years of imprisonment in a case pertaining to the possession of explosives.

Announcing the verdict, the court stated that Jamaluddin had failed to prove the legality of his involvement in the supply and sale of explosives, pointing out that the licence he had presented had been declared fake by the relevant assistant commissioner.

According to Inspector Syed Muhammad Sarfaraz, Jamaluddin had been arrested in Kharadar by Counter-Terrorism Department officials, with a large amount of chemicals used to manufacture explosives recovered from a godown in Korangi on his information.