Supreme Court Acquits Two Convicts in Baldia Town Factory Fire Case, Sets Aside Death Sentences

Islamabad: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has acquitted two men convicted in the Baldia Town factory fire case, overturning the death sentences previously awarded by the trial court and upheld by the Sindh High Court.

A three-member bench hearing appeals related to the 2012 Baldia Town factory tragedy granted the accused, Abdul Rehman Bhola and Zubair Charia, the benefit of the doubt and ordered their acquittal. The court stated that a detailed judgment would be issued later.

The Supreme Court also dismissed applications seeking to make the victims’ families parties to the case. Justice Shahzad Malik remarked that allowing a few applicants to join could open the door to hundreds of similar requests, complicating the proceedings.

During the hearing, Justice Shahzad Malik questioned several aspects of the prosecution’s case. He noted that while the Sindh High Court had observed that witnesses remained silent due to the alleged influence of MQM in Karachi, only Zubair Charia had made a confessional statement, while Abdul Rehman Bhola had not.

The judge further asked why the acquittal of other individuals, including senior MQM figures, had not been challenged if the prosecution’s theory was based on extortion demands allegedly made on behalf of the party. He also questioned how a change in a political party’s sector in-charge could constitute a criminal offense.

Representing the defense, lawyer Farogh Naseem argued that MQM founder Altaf Hussain had been expelled from the party following his controversial speech on August 22, 2016, and that he was still associated with the party when factory owners were acquitted and blame was shifted toward MQM.

Justice Shahzad Malik observed that speeches by Altaf Hussain had been delivered long before the Baldia Town incident and remarked that no witness had testified that Zubair Charia was an MQM member. He also noted that investigators had found no evidence of chemicals being used to start the fire.

Justice Aqeel Abbasi questioned whether the prosecution had successfully established that the objective was to kill workers, while Justice Shakeel Ahmad remarked that if the motive was extortion, it was unclear what benefit the accused would gain from killing factory employees.

The accused had been charged with setting fire