Baldia factory fire case: General Manager, employee ordered to set fire, says suspect

KARACHI: The only arrested suspect in Baldia factory fire case Zubair recorded his statement in front of an anti-terrorism court in Karachi on Monday.

According to the suspect, General Manager Mansoor and an employee of the factory Shahrukh ordered to set the fire.

The Judge also grilled the authorities for not being able to arrest Hammad Siddiqui and Abdul Rehman Bhola, the other two suspects of the case.

The court stayed its order over the bail of accused Zubair alias Lala. In his statement, Zubair said that Mansoor and Shahrukh had given orders to lock all the doors of the factory.

“People were dying in front of me. At that time the SSP asked me to give a statement against the factory owners,” he said.

The court ordered the interior ministry to arrest fugitives with the help of Interpol.

In September 2012, a deadly fire devoured 269 lives at a factory situated in Karachi's Baldia Town. Subsequent investigations led to revelations that the factory was deliberately set ablaze over non-payment of protection money.

A JIT probing the matter put the blame on some MQM members and activists including Hammad Siddiqui and Rehman Bhola. The party has repeatedly denied the allegations.