Sindh High Court Reserves Judgment on Appeals of MQM Activists in Baldia Factory Fire Case

Strategic Insights -

The Sindh High Court has reserved its judgment on appeals of two Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) activists, Abdul Rehman and Zubair, who have been sentenced to death in the 2012 Baldia factory fire case that killed 260 workers. The court has also heard appeals from four other defendants who were sentenced to life imprisonment. MQM leader Rauf Siddiqui and several co-accused were acquitted due to lack of evidence. The court has been told that the factory was set on fire by MQM leaders and activists over a dispute about Rs250 million in extortion.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Sindh High Court has reserved judgment on appeals of MQM activists Abdul Rehman and Zubair, who have been sentenced to death for their role in the 2012 Baldia factory fire.
  • The court has also heard appeals from four other defendants who were sentenced to life imprisonment in the case.
  • MQM leader Rauf Siddiqui and several co-accused were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
  • The main accused, Rehman, had admitted in a confessional statement that the factory was set on fire on the order of former MQM Karachi Tanzeemi Committee incharge Hammad Siddiqui over the factory owners' refusal to pay Rs250 million in extortion.
  • The appellants' counsel, Mohammad Farooq, Hassan Sabir, and others, denied the prosecution charges and laid the blame on the factory owners for the fire, claiming that they were responsible for the workers' deaths due to negligence and lack of emergency exits.
  • The prosecution maintained that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and requested the court to dismiss the appeals.

Statistics:

  • 260 workers died in the Baldia factory fire on September 11, 2012.
  • Rs250 million was the claimed extortion amount that prompted the MQM leaders to order the factory to be set on fire.
  • 4 defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment in the case.
  • 2 MQM activists, Abdul Rehman and Zubair, were sentenced to death.
  • 15 people, including MQM leader Rauf Siddiqui, were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

Sources:

  • "Sindh High Court reserves judgment on Baldia factory fire case," Samaa TV, November 6, 2022.
  • "MQM leaders, activists sentenced to death, life imprisonment in Baldia factory fire case," Dawn News, November 5, 2022.