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Reuters
The flames of an abandoned factory are reminiscent of what happened
A Karachi court has sentenced two men to life in prison after convicting them of starting Pakistan’s worst industrial fire in 2012.
The men were found to have set fire to a garment factory because its owners had not paid the ransom.
The court said they found the MMQ in power in the city. Were affiliated with the party.
Hundreds were trapped inside the building which did not have a fire.
The plaintiffs took evidence from more than 400 witnesses. The fire investigation described it as an act of organized terrorism.
Many of the victims were burned beyond recognition. Others died or had broken bones trying to get to safety.
What happened to the fire?
The blaze started at noon on September 11, 2012 at Ali Enterprise’s factory in Baldia Nagar area of the commercial capital and lasted for 15 hours. About 40 fire engines took part.
More than 24 hours after the onset of hell, rescuers were still fighting to get inside the dead and injured. A total of about 500 workers were inside the factory when the fire broke out.
Many workers jumped from the upper floor. Others could not because of the metal grille on the windows. Survivors said the doors and stairs were filled with stacks of finished clothing.
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Officials said the factory was strewn with flammable materials, including clothing and chemicals.
People trapped inside the building knocked their friends and relatives to their knees as it was engulfed in flames.
Crowds of shouting and relatives gathered to get the news as rescuers pulled the body out.
The Karachi court said in its judgment that 264 people were killed and 60 injured in the blaze.
What is the reaction to the verdict?
Some relatives told BBC Urdu’s Riaz Sohail that they felt justice had only been cut in half – as the factory owners, Arshad and Shahid Bhaila, were also not held responsible for the loss of life.
The two brothers were initially arrested but later released on bail after which they went abroad. He was interrogated by investigators via a video link from Dubai.
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Reuters
Relatives rushed to the factory to report the shock
“Why didn’t the owners order the factory to close, as the MMC extortionists have the freedom and ability to do what they were supposed to do?” Saida asked Bibi, who lost her 18-year-old son Ayan in hell.
Yan Yan was his only child – he was thinking of quitting his job but was waiting for the payment of his final salary which was late.
K.B.B. He also wanted to know what happened to the compensation package of 0 mm which was promised to the affected people, but he said it was not completed.
Another father, Faisal Ahmed, 18, who was killed in the blaze, said his exit was locked when he arrived at the factory on the day of the blaze.
“I told the manager to open the door, but he didn’t. If he had kept it open, maybe some people could have saved lives.”
How was the bonfire proved?
The initial fire in Baldia was considered an accident. Pakistan is a victim of industrial disasters, often as a result of poor construction or poor safety standards and enforcement.
The BBC’s Sikandar Karmani in Islamabad reports that the subsequent discovery that this was a firefight gave a sense of the vicious connection between political activists and serious criminals in the city.
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Reuters
It took about a day for the emergency services to contain the fire
The investigation report said the amount sought for “security” was 200 Pakistani rupees ($ 1.2 million). In September 2019, a factory owner confirmed this in his witness statement in court.
Why does he think the fire was not accidental, he said, first it broke out in the basement and then upstairs when nothing happened on the mezzanine floor in between.
After an early investigation focused on whether the owners were negligent, a key witness told officials of the city’s powerful Mutahida Kaimi movement that he was trying to raise money from the factory – and that he was behind the fire.
The current leadership of MQM denies any involvement with the fire. It is now part of Pakistan’s ruling coalition, which split into factions in 2017.
No date has been set for the execution of Abdul Rahman, also known as Bhola, and his accomplice Zubair Charya, who was sentenced to death. They have the right to appeal.
The court heard that Bhola was an MKM officer responsible for the Baldia area. In a statement to the magistrate in 2016, he admitted to asking Charya to set fire to the office on the orders of a more senior MCM person, which police are still seeking.
Bhola was arrested with the help of Interpol, while Charya fled to Saudi Arabia and returned to Karachi a few years ago.
In addition to sentencing both to death, the court sentenced four factory guards to life in prison after finding them complicit in the crime.
Four others, including the then provincial industry minister, MMK member Rauf Siddiqui, were acquitted. All the accused had denied the allegations against them.
