The Karachi Jamaat-e-Islami acting chief and opposition leader in the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, Saifuddin Advocate, on Monday said that despite a hiverdict in the Baldia factory fire case, the families of the 259 workers who lost their lives in the 2012 tragedy are still waiting for justice.
Addressing a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq alongside victims’ relatives, he said the Supreme Court had acquitted the accused on what he described as “technical grounds”.
Saifuddin said many important aspects appeared to have been overlooked in the short order and stressed that the detailed judgment should be released without delay. He also questioned the rejection of an application filed by the victims’ heirs seeking to become parties to the case. Referring to the judicial process, he said serious questions had emerged over the criminal justice system.
“The same allegations, evidence, joint investigation team (JIT) reports and confessional statements on the basis of which the trial court and later the Sindh High Court awarded death sentences were ultimately not upheld,” he said.
He argued that if the JIT reports were flawed, those responsible for preparing them should also be held accountable. Calling for a fresh probe into the incident, Saifuddin demanded a reinvestigation to determine who started the fire, why it was started and who allegedly prevented rescue and firefighting efforts after the blaze erupted.
He also urged authorities to reopen investigations into allegations that Rs250 million had been demanded as extortion, claiming that statements recorded by the factory owners from Dubai were available regarding the matter.
The JI leader said the victims and their families were the principal stakeholders in the case and could not be ignored. He maintained that no innocent person should be punished, but those responsible for the deaths of 259 workers must be identified and brought to justice.
Saifuddin further called on the federal and provincial governments to fulfil commitments previously made to the victims’ families, including promises of jobs and residential plots. He also demanded the immediate distribution of the $5.15 million compensation fund provided by German retailer KiK for the victims, questioning the utilisation of $250,000 and seeking transparency regarding its expenditure.
Criticising the role of institutions involved in administering the compensation scheme, he alleged that affected families were receiving only small payments while the principal amount remained undistributed. He further demanded the restoration of Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) pensions for eligible family members.
The press conference was attended by relatives of the victims, including women, children and elderly family members, as well as by Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi information secretary Zahid Askari, Public Aid Karachi secretary Najeeb Ayubi and Baldia Committee representative Mohammad Sabir.
