Baldia fire investigations: Two officers say their inclusion in new JIT ‘not sound’

Prime investigators in the factory inferno stick to their ‘no extortion’ claims.

KARACHI:

Two officers who were nominated for the new joint investigation team (JIT) formed to reinvestigate the Baldia factory fire believe their inclusion was 'technically not sound'.

SSP Farooq Awan, who heads the Special Investigation Unit of the Criminal Investigation Agency, and its DIG Sultan Khwaja, were part of the original inquiry committee and feel confident about their earlier investigations into the fire that killed over 259 workers on September 11, 2012.

Commenting on media reports that he had 'refused' to join the new investigation team, SSP Awan told The Express Tribune that certain television channels had blown up the issue to cast doubts on the new investigation team. "The new JIT, headed by AIG Khadim Hussain Bhatti of the police's crime branch, had proposed the inclusion of the CIA among its cadre," said SSP Awan. Yet the proposal could not materialise because it was technically not correct, he added.

"I and my superior, Sultan Khwaja, were responsible for initiating a separate investigation report around two years ago," said SSP Awan. "Now, we are not in a position to become a part of the new JIT."

For the police officer, his inclusion would be tantamount to damaging the process of investigations as he would have to reject the investigations he had carried out earlier. SSP Awan insisted he stands by the earlier findings of the original inquiry committee. "The new investigation team should come up with its findings without the influence of any past investigators," he added.

Earlier SSP Awan, being a part of the four-member investigation team formed in September 2012 to probe the garment factory fire, had termed the incident "deliberate criminal negligence" while disregarding the reports of extortion threats to the owners. "It was propaganda made to divert the case from deliberate criminal negligence to conspiracy," the report had claimed.



Later, a separate JIT report based on the interrogation of suspect Rizwan Qureshi, an alleged Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) worker, was submitted to the Sindh High Court on February 7 this year. It blamed the party for the deadly blaze. Subsequently, a new JIT was formed on February 18 on the directives of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Apart from Crime Branch AIG Bhatti, the officials of other law enforcement and intelligence agencies including the Rangers, Federal Investigation Agency director and Crimes DIG Mushtaq Maher are members of the new JIT.

Over 1,000 witnesses

Meanwhile, the number of witnesses in the Baldia fire trial has once again swelled to over 1,000. This time though, all prosecution-related documents have been submitted in court and the final copies have been supplied to the defendants — factory owners, Abdul Aziz Bhalia, Shahid Bhalia and Arshad Bhalia, their employees, Muhammad Mansoor, Fazal Ahmed, Ali Muhammad and Arshad Mehmood.

On Saturday, investigation officer SI Jahanzeb Khan submitted a 'complete' list of 1,043 witnesses before the court of fifth additional district and sessions judge, West, Naushaba Kazi. Arshad and Shahid failed to appear in court due to ill health and the court was unhappy with their repeated absence. The judge asked their lawyer to submit medical certificates at the next hearing on March 21.

Abdul Aziz has been given exemption from court hearings due to his old age. The remaining defendants were present in court on Saturday.

Khan also submitted a written apology to the judge for not appearing before the court at the previous hearing, when the irate judge had issued non-bailable warrants for his arrest. The court accepted Khan's apology with a warning to be careful in the future.

The case is likely to reach the indictment process at the next hearing given that a prosecutor is assigned by the provincial government. Since the resignation of Shazia Hanjrah two weeks ago, no other prosecutor has been given this task. Hanjrah stepped down from the case on February 16 citing lack of cooperation from the police officers investigating the case. She was also wary of the dramatically increasing witnesses and of the supplementary charge sheet.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2015.