Baldia Town culprits put on ECL eight months after their escape

KARACHI: The most wanted alleged culprits of Baldia Town tragedy were put on the Exit Control List about eight months after their alleged escape from the country. It is learnt that the police had already cleared three alleged culprits and they have been freed. The police have also issued a notification to include in the ECL the names of the alleged culprits two weeks after report of Joint Investigation Team was made public.
Ali Enterprises Garments Factory that produced export quality stuff, was allegedly torched for failing to pay extortion money on September 12, 2012. Criminal negligence was adopted in dousing the fire that could not be put out in 24 hours. As a result, 259 people were burnt alive and others injured in the tragedy. In the preliminary report, it was disclosed hours after the incident it was an act of terrorism. Intelligence experts had pointed out there was a dispute on Rs10 million extortion money between the extortionists and factory owners. They revealed that the factory owners agreed to pay Rs1 million extortion money but the political group of the extortionists did not agree.
Police arrested the main characters behind this act of terror the very next day from Baldia Town. Brothers Asghar Beg and Majid Beg, who were put on the ECL Saturday, were arrested by CID but a CID officer, who allegedly works for the political party in question, got them released through corrupt means. Muhammad Rizwan Qureshi, named as the main culprit in JIT report, was arrested in June 2013 but his arrest was made in a fake case of casual nature and not in Baldia Town case. Later, he was freed on bail and his political group helped him escape from the country.
According to the JIT report, another main culprit Hammad Siddiqui continued to work for his political party and fled from the country when his name surfaced in the investigation. Rehman alias Bhola, another culprit, has also fled from the country but the government has put their names on the ECL months after their escape. This is not only one case but it happens in all cases where politically influential people got away with their crimes.