Baldia Factory Fire Case: Rehman Bhola and Zubair Charya Released from Jail Following Supreme Court Acquittal

KARACHI: Rehman Bhola and Zubair Charya, two key accused in the Baldia Town factory fire case, have been released from Karachi Central Jail after being acquitted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

According to Central Jail Superintendent Abdul Karim Abbasi, both men were released after the completion of all legal formalities. Following their release, they proceeded to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) headquarters in Bahadurabad.

Several MQM leaders and workers, including Anis Qaimkhani, Sindh Assembly member Faheem Patni, Shariq Jamal, Furqan Atif, and Umair Siddiqui, welcomed the two men outside the jail.

The development comes after the Supreme Court, sitting at its Karachi Registry on June 10, ordered the acquittal of Rehman Bhola and Zubair Charya, overturning their death sentences in the high-profile case.

The court accepted the appeals filed by the two accused and ruled that the prosecution had failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove their involvement in the incident. During the proceedings, defense counsel argued that there were no eyewitnesses or conclusive evidence showing that the accused had set the factory on fire.

Legal representation for the appellants included Barrister Farogh Naseem and Hassan Sabir Advocate, who challenged the convictions before the apex court.

After reviewing the evidence and hearing arguments from both sides, the Supreme Court set aside the death sentences awarded by the trial court and ordered the acquittal of both men.

The Baldia Town factory fire remains one of Pakistan’s deadliest industrial disasters. The tragic blaze erupted at a garment factory in Karachi’s Baldia Town area in September 2012, killing 256 workers and employees who were trapped inside the building.

The incident shocked the nation and led to years of investigations and legal proceedings aimed at determining responsibility for the devastating loss of life.