Businessman from Hyderabad files second pre-arrest bail

Karachi

Alleged to have his involvement in the Baldia factory fire incident, a businessman from Hyderabad, Ali Hasan Qadri, on Tuesday filed a second pre-arrest bail plea in a sessions court after the first one got struck off on August 13. He is reported to be a close confidant of the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) leader Anis Qaimkhani.

The court issued notices summoning the state counsel and public prosecutor to appear in court today (Wednesday) to tender their arguments with respect to Qadri’s plea.

The district and sessions court (West) had dismissed his previous bail plea on grounds that he did not appear before the court personally, instead had it filed through his attorney.

Based in Hyderabad, the businessman’s name was included in the case in light of fresh information also mentioned in a report of the joint investigation team, which purported Qadri to be a middle-man who struck a deal between the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and factory owners - Abdul Aziz Bhaila and his sons, Arshad and Shahid Bhaila.

Inquiring about the factory owners absence from court hearings, the court was informed that the accused had moved an application seeking exemption from appearing in court. Attorney representing the people affected in the fire pointed out that the owners had not been coming to court since 2014.

So far the worst factory fire incident to have occurred in the metropolis, over 250 workers died and around 50 others were injured after a fire engulfed the Ali Enterprises garment factory situated in Baldia Town, on September 11, 2012.

With the city’s main political party touted to be at the centre of the conspiracy, the incident had since been marred by controversies sometimes owing to investigating officers being changed and sometimes for the entire angle of the investigation.

Qadri was along with his brother Umar Hasan Qadri, former MQM Karachi Tanzeemi Committee chief Hammad Siddiqui, former MQM Baldia Town sector in-charge Rehman alias Bhola, Anis Qaimkhani’s aides Dr Abdul Sattar and Iqbal Adeeb Khanum, factory employee Zubair alias Charya and four unidentified people were nominated as accused in the JIT report.

 

FACC trial

The Federal Anti-Corruption Court (FACC) was ordered to conduct a trial against Chief Drug Officer Qaiser Muhammad and Drug Inspector Zakir Hussain for criminal conspiracy over allegations of facilitating Siraj Moosani and other traders in selling fake medicines.

The court that examined the plea of the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) noted that the two health officers were involved in the crime and should, hence, be tried along with the accused traders.

 

Pre-arrest bail 

District and Sessions Judge (West) granted pre-arrest bail to a kidnapping accused in the sum of Rs50,000. Asif was alleged to have kidnapped an underage girl a few days ago. The accused had filed an application fearing arrest by the police for a crime he was being falsely implicated in.