Baldia factory inferno: 'Declaring owners innocent is a mockery of justice'

Activists highlight owners’ criminal negligence regarding safety protocols

KARACHI:

The key culprits behind the Baldia factory fire - the factory’s owners - were saved by the tragedy’s politicisation, said labour and human rights activists, adding that the workers’ bereaved families did not get justice.

Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Friday, they maintained that declaring the factory owners innocent was a mockery of justice.

The case investigation was influenced through different joint investigation teams, while the affected families were never considered a party, contrary to the basic principles of law and justice, they added.

The activists also highlighted that the question of arson aside, the factory did not have a proper firefighting system while all the exit points were barred by iron rods. Besides, they said, the labourers were not trained for any such emergency.

They pointed out that the factory was not even operating legally and its map was not approved by the relevant authorities.

Though they called for exemplary punishment for those responsible for setting the blaze, they added that the owners could not be termed innocent given their criminal negligence in ensuring proper safety protocols.

They asserted that even if the factory owners were being blackmailed or threatened, they should have contacted the authorities and ensured their workers' safety.

Furthermore, the speakers said, instead of learning lessons from the tragedy, industrial accidents were still on the rise leaving workers as victims of industrial mishaps. Though there were laws for occupational health and safety in Sindh, they were not being implemented, they added.

The speakers urged that the government to accept all demands of the affectees, provide employment and plots to them as promised, resume pensions for the slain workers’ parents and issue orders to pay them gratuity and group insurance.