An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday handed death sentences to two MQM workers, Abdul Rahman 'Bhola' and Zubair 'Charya', for their involvement in the deaths of over 260 labourers in the 2012 Baldia factory arson incident.
MQM leader Rauf Siddiqui, who had been accused of being involved in the incident, was, however, acquitted by the court for want of evidence, along with Umar Hasan Qadri, Dr Abdul Sattar Khan and Iqbal Adeeb Khanum.
Four others — Shahrukh, Fazal Ahmed, Arshad Mehmood and Ali Mohammad — were handed life sentences for facilitating the crime.
The highly-anticipated decision, almost eight years in the making, was announced today by the anti-terrorism court.
One key suspect, the then in-charge of the MQM's Karachi Tanzimi Committee, Hammad Siddiqui, remains absconding. The prosecution had argued in the case that he was the brains behind the extortion and the arson act.
The special public prosecutor had earlier this month said a decision had been reserved on September 2 after arguments from various parties were completed, with the case pending in various courts for almost eight years.
MQM demanded Rs250 million extortion
According to the prosecution, the factory was set on fire by men affiliated with the MQM because the factory owners had refused to give in to the party’s demands for extortion money.
Arshad Bhaila, one of the owners of the factory, had testified in court that MQM men had asked him to pay Rs250 million or a share of 50% in the factory's profits. He said he had been willing to pay Rs10 million.
Throughout the hearings, the statements of some 400 witnesses were recorded, with the factory owners presenting theirs via video link from Dubai.
Former MQM sector in-charges Abdul Rahman, alias 'Bhola', and Zubair, alias 'Charya', were eventually arrested in the case.
Bhola was arrested back in December 2016 from Bangkok with the help of the International Criminal Police Organization, or Interpol. He had confessed to the crime before a judicial magistrate.
Factory lacked safety standards
Independent opinions suggest that regardless of the cause of the fire, casualties occurred because the factory lacked the basic occupational health and safety standards, while the building design was also flawed.
According to London-based research group Forensic Architecture, which conducted an analysis of the fire using computer simulation, inadequate safety measures at the factory had led to the catastrophic death toll.
The case is based on the findings of the joint investigation team’s report, which states that the incident was that of arson, and that the scene was compromised because of the fire rescue activities and the time-lapse.
The report also disapproved of the previous investigations’ claims of holding an electrical short circuit responsible for the fire incident at the Baldia garments factory.
'We were trapped inside'
"People started screaming for their lives,” the then-20-year-old Mohammad Asif had said as he described the incident. "Everyone came to the window. I jumped from the third floor.”
Employee Mohammad Pervez had said at the time the factory owners "were more concerned with safeguarding the garments in the factory than the workers” and that "a lot of people would have been saved" had there been no metal grilles on the windows.
Another worker, Liaqat Hussain, then 29, had said the blaze engulfed the entire factory "within two minutes".
“The gate was closed. There was no access to get out, we were trapped inside,” Hussain had said.
The massive fire was initially reported to have been caused by a short circuit.
