On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan acquitted two individuals previously sentenced to death in connection with the Baldia Town factory fire, nullifying the rulings of both the trial court and the Sindh High Court. The three-judge bench, led by Justice Shahzad Malik, accepted the appeals of Abdul Rehman, known as Bhola, and Zubair, alias Chariya, ordering their release.
In a significant development, the court also dismissed an appeal by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) that sought to remove certain remarks made in earlier judgments. The bench declared the appeal moot since the underlying verdict had already been overturned, stating that the comments embedded in the annulled judgment no longer held any legal effect.
During the hearings, Justice Malik expressed concern that allowing a limited number of parties to participate could open the floodgates to numerous similar applications, complicating the judicial process. He emphasized that an excessive number of parties would render the hearings unmanageable.
The court scrutinized the prosecution’s case, particularly its dependence on political affiliations and alleged coercion. Justice Malik highlighted contradictions in witness testimonies and noted that only one accused had confessed, while another had not. The bench questioned the linkage of the case to MQM leaders, asking why acquittals of senior party figures had not been challenged if extortion demands were central to the case. It further observed that internal party changes, such as replacing sector in-charges, did not inherently amount to criminal behavior.
Judges also debated whether the prosecution had sufficiently demonstrated criminal intent. Justice Shakeel Ahmad pointed out the absence of evidence connecting some accused to party membership, while Justice Aqeel Abbasi remarked that the case failed to conclusively prove an intent to kill workers. The bench raised concerns over the lack of forensic evidence, including chemical analysis, and questioned the prosecution’s claim that factory doors were deliberately locked to trap workers.
The Baldia Town fire remains one of the deadliest industrial disasters in Pakistan’s history. The fire broke out at the Ali Enterprises garment factory in Karachi’s Baldia Town on September 11, 2012, resulting in the deaths of at least 264 workers and injuries to approximately 60 others. Nearly 500 employees were inside the building when the blaze ignited, which raged for about 15 hours with rescue efforts continuing into the next day. Survivors and investigators revealed that many victims were trapped due to locked exits, barred windows, and insufficient emergency escape routes, with some fatally injured while trying to escape by jumping from upper floors.
Initially treated as an industrial accident, the investigation later shifted to consider the fire an act of deliberate arson. A joint investigation report described the incident as organized terrorism linked to an extortion dispute. Prosecutors alleged that factory owners were pressured to pay Rs200 million in protection money, and when the demand was not met, members of the MQM were implicated in orchestrating the arson attack.
A key witness statement and subsequent legal proceedings led to criminal charges against several accused individuals. In September 2020, an anti-terrorism court sentenced Abdul Rehman and Zubair to death for their roles in setting the fire, while four factory security guards received life sentences. Several others, including former provincial minister Rauf Siddiqui, were acquitted. The MQM leadership has consistently denied involvement and rejected all allegations linking the party to the tragedy.
Families of the victims expressed mixed reactions to the verdict, welcoming the acquittal of some but criticizing the lack of full accountability. They questioned why factory owners were not held criminally liable for safety lapses that contributed to the high casualty rate.
