The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday rejected appeals of MQM’s Rehman Bhola and Zubair Chariya against death sentences in Baldia factory fire case. A division bench of the high court announcing its decision on appeals of convicts against sentences declare life term of the factory’s four employees, Shahrukh, Fazal Ahmed, Arshad Mehmood and Ali Mohammad, as void. The court exonerated MQM leader Rauf Siddiqui, the then-provincial minister for commerce and industries, Abdul Sattar, Iqbal Adeeb Khanum and Umar Hassan from charges for want of evidence. The court rejected government appeals against acquittal of the four accused.The bench had reserved verdict on appeals on August 29 after completion of arguments by the sides. An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) had handed down verdict on September 22, 2020, sentencing Zubair aka Chariya and Abdul Rehman aka Bhola to death for their role in the deaths of over 260 people on September 11, 2012, in deadly factory fire in Karachi’s Baldia Town.

The ATC had awarded life sentence to factory’s four employees – Shahrukh, Fazal Ahmed, Arshad Mehmood and Ali Mohammad for their role in the incident. An accused Fazal Ahmed was died during imprisonment. In the deadly factory fire on September 11, 2012, 264 people were died and over 300 people were injured. A bench of the high court had admitted appeals of five convicts for hearing, challenging their sentences in the factory fire case.

 
Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)