ATC rejects Rauf Siddiqui’s plea seeking exemption from appearance

Housed inside the central prison, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday rejected Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leader Rauf Siddiqui’s plea seeking exemption from court appearance in the Balida factory fire case.

The judge concerned observed that since provincial lawmaker Rauf Siddiqui had not been granted bail in this case, his plea seeking exemption from court appearance had no legal justification. Two detained accused, namely Abdul Rehman alias Rehman Bhola and Zubair alias Zubair Charia, were produced before the court at yesterday’s hearing.

It may be mentioned here that former home minister Rauf Siddiqui has been nominated in the Balida factory fire case. The court while entertaining an application filed by Sajid Mehboob Shaikh, prosecutor of the Sindh Rangers, passed ordered last week to name Rauf Siddiqui as a co-accused in the Baldia factory fire case.

The court has fixed January 18 to announce its rulings on the bail pleas of several co-accused including Dr Abdul Sattar, Andaleeb Khanum, Umar Hassan Qadiri, Asrar and four security guards of the Ali Enterprises. The court has already heard the arguments on the bail pleas of these co-accused persons.

The court also heard the arguments on the bail plea of Ali Hassan Qadiri, but prosecutor Sajid Mehboob opposed the bail plea, saying almost all the JIT reports had confirmed that Qadiri was a man who had received more than Rs500 million to make a deal in the Baldia factory fire case. Yet, the prosecutor said that all the four security guards were not declared as accused by the JITs.

The court has already rejected the bail plea of Abdul Rehman alias Rehman Bhola who is a key suspect and allegedly involved in the 2012 arson attack at Karachi's Baldia garment factory in which around 250 workers were burnt alive.