ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday disposed of the Sindh government’s Baldia fire review plea. The province had challenged the June acquittals of Abdul Rehman alias Bhola and Zubair alias Chariya.
Sindh Additional Prosecutor General Saleem Akhtar presented arguments before a three-member bench. Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan headed the bench, alongside Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi and Justice Shakeel Ahmad.
The judges also disposed of a petition challenging lower-court remarks about Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).
The review concerned the court’s decision to overturn the two men’s convictions and death sentences in the factory fire case. On June 10, the same bench allowed their appeals and granted them the benefit of the doubt.
In that judgment, the court held that the prosecution had failed to establish its case beyond reasonable doubt. Its decision overturned the verdicts of the trial court and the Sindh High Court.
Read: Baldia Factory Case Verdict Sets Aside Two Convictions
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) had sentenced Bhola and Chariya to death in September 2020. They faced charges of murder, extortion, arson and terrorism over their alleged involvement in the blaze.
Bhola had served as a sector in-charge in the MQM’s organisational structure. Both men later challenged their convictions in court.
In 2023, the Sindh High Court upheld their death sentences while setting aside the life terms of four factory employees.
During the June proceedings, the Supreme Court rejected applications to make victims’ relatives parties to the case. Judges observed that adding numerous parties could prolong the litigation.
Hundreds of workers died when fire engulfed the multi-storey Ali Enterprises garment factory in Baldia Town, Karachi, Sindh, on September 11, 2012. Among those who died, 16 victims remained unidentified.
