NBWs issued for Hammad Siddiqui, Rehman alias Bhola

ATC orders IO to ensure both suspects’ presence at next hearing slated for October 3 

Karachi

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday issued non-bailable warrants of arrest against Hammad Siddiqui, a suspended chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) organising committee, and the then MQM Baldia Town sector in-charge, Abdul Rehman alias Rehman Bhola, during the hearing of the Balida factory fire case.

The court fixed October 3 as next date of hearing and directed the investigation officer (IO) to arrest the absconding accused and produce them before the court.

The supplementary charge sheet has already been accepted, stating that the ill-fated factory was set on fire by miscreants who were refused payment of extortion money.

Investigation officer SP Sajid Sadozai filed the supplementary charge sheet and special public prosecutor Sajid Mehboob assisted the court in underlining the facts of the case. It was alleged that the factory was burnt on the orders of Hammad Siddiqui.

The owners of the factory were told to hand over Rs250 million, but they had agreed to pay Rs10 million.

The charge sheet was prepared in the light of the fresh report of a joint investigation that suggested that the trial of the accused under the provisions dealing with the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 and other relevant laws.

It was further alleged that the extortionists had also demanded for a permanent share in the ownership of the factory.

The incident of the biggest industrial tragedy to ever have occurred in the county wherein around 259 workers perished in the fire was termed a “planned terrorist activity” and not an accident in a supplementary charge-sheet.

The additional district and sessions judge (West) had transferred the case on August 27 to the administrative judge of the ATCs, observing that it was a case fit to be tried by an ATC and not by a regular court as the charge sheet was read with the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

The fresh charge sheet reads that the Ali Enterprises, a garments factory in Baldia Town, was ablaze by miscreants belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement over non-payment of extortion money.

Nominated in the Baldia Town factory fire case as co-accused, the owners and a few employees of the Ali Enterprises were instead included in the case as witnesses after a thorough investigation by police had declared them innocent.

The court was also requested to endorse the plea to take the owners as witnesses and not as co-accused in the matter.

According to the special public prosecutor, the name of another MQM activist, Zubair alias Zubair Charia, was also removed as the investigators could not find any proof of his involvement.

Another man, Shakil alias Chotta, was also found as innocent in this case and the police had released him. The JIT had named Hammad Siddiqui, Abdul Rehman alias Rehman Bhola, Zubair, Ali Hasan, Umar Hasan, Abdul Sattar, Iqbal Adeeb Khanum and four unidentified persons as proposed accused in the report.

However, the police contended that incriminating evidence was available only against two of the proposed accused.

Hammad Siddiqui and Rahman alias Bhola were declared absconders. The charge sheet has mentioned 58 people as prosecution witnesses. 

The charge sheet claimed that the accused had demanded around Rs250 million from the factory owners as “protection money”.