KARACHI - Two MQM workers convicted by an Anti Terrorism Court in the Baldia factory fire case filed an appeal against their death sentences in the Sindh High Court on Wednesday.
In the appeal, Zubair ‘Charya’ and Abdul Rahman ‘Bhola’ have laid the blame on the factory owners for the fire. They have alleged that the fwactory doors were closed when the fire broke out on the “orders of the owners”.
“Twhere was no emergency exit for the workers [when the fire broke out],” the accused have said in the appeal. They added that the people perished in the fire due to the “negligence of the factory owners and related departments”. Both the MQM workers have maintained that in the initial report, the factory owners were held responsible for the fire, adding that the “real culprits” were acquitted in the joint investigation report. “The court did not scrutinise the evidence,” claimed Rahman and Zubair. They also alleged that no CCTV footage was included as evidence in the trial court and appealed that the verdict by the ATC be declared illegal.