Independent commission should probe the garment factory fire: JI

Qazi Hussain Ahmed demands Sindh CM should resign from post, action against SITE.

KARACHI: Former Jamaat-e-Islami Chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed has demanded that the provincial government officials resign and let an independent commission probe the garment factory fire which resulted in the deaths of nearly 300 workers.

Ahmed on Friday visited the garment factory in Baldia Town and offered his condolences to the victim’s heirs.

“Provincial government officials concerned, including the chief minister, should have the audacity to step down,” said Ahmed while talking to media at the factory’s entrance gates which have been sealed by authorities.

Demanding compensation of Rs1 million for each victim, Ahmed said that a brief survey of SITE area would reveal that hardly a few owners bother to place their identity and business information at the factories.

“Nobody knows what they produce and how many labourers are employed,” he said,

“A case should also be registered against the Sindh Industrial Trading Estate (SITE), which is a corporate body,” he added.

Ahmed also said that this particular incident had left no doubt that Pakistan’s incompetent rulers did not pay heed to protecting lives and properties of the people.

On this occasion, some relatives of the victims complained bitterly that the concerned officials were not confirming the statuses of their loved ones.

Meanwhile, JI chief Munawar Hassan while addressing a rally on Friday afternoon said that the Baldia Town’s garment factory incident was the result of extortion demands.

“Any investigation into the incident must include the role of Muttahida Qaumi Movement,” he urged.