It has been over five years since the Baldia factory fire killed 260 people. But the families of the victims are yet to receive justice. Since then, the issue has been mired in politics as a Joint Investigation Team claimed that the fire was a result of arson committed by members of the MQM over non-payment of extortion money. To this day, political parties are using the real hurt and anger caused by the fire as a way to score political points. They have now been told to refrain from doing so by those whose voice should be heard loudest: the survivors and families of the victims. They only want justice, rather than this painful and tragic event in their lives becoming a point of political contention. Even as the case continues to drift on, we know without any doubt that safety standards at the factory were severely lacking, there were no fire hydrants at the factory and that firefighters were late in arriving. We also know that the owner of the factory fled the country. This in itself is enough to least take steps towards improving fire safety and ensuring that negligent owners do not put the lives of workers at risk. Of course, the political angle to the fire must continue to be investigated since it is important to find out who was ultimately responsible for starting the fire. What all political parties need to understand is that in a case as sensitive as this, where the feelings of those who have lost their loved ones should be paramount, turning a personal tragedy into fodder for electioneering material is insensitive to say the least. The focus should be on the well-being of the families. It is hardly surprising that their anger is directed at a government that has not been able to conclude its case in five years. The story of what happened that day has continually shifted, only adding to the mental agony of the families. If there is to be any outrage it should be directed at the sad state of the investigation process in this case. The Baldia factory fire was one of the worst disasters in our history and those who were most affected by it deserve closure.
