Baldia Factory Fire: Govt yet to appoint prosecutor

KARACHI: Despite the lapse of three months, the government has yet to appoint a prosecutor to assist the trial court in the Baldia factory fire case. Shazia Hanjrah, the special public prosecutor given the assignment, had detached herself from the case in February, citing the lack of cooperation of the investigators days after a joint interrogation report changed the trajectory of the case. Irked by the delay, the additional district and sessions judge V of District West, Naushaba Kazi, approached the law department on Saturday, directing the authorities to appoint the state’s counsel by the next hearing on June 6. Neither the newly-appointed investigation officer SP Sajid Sadozai nor the suspects appeared before the court for Saturday’s hearing. However, they, through their counsels, pleaded to condone their absence.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17^th, 2015.