Supreme Court acquits two Baldia Town case convicts, overturning death sentences and nullifying related judicial remarks.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Shahzad Malik heard the appeals in the high-profile Baldia Town factory fire case. Abdul Rehman alias Bhola and Zubair alias Chariya were accepted as appellants, filing petitions to overturn their death sentences handed down by lower courts.
The court set aside the death sentences previously awarded by the trial court and upheld by the Sindh High Court, ordering the acquittal of both appellants. The appeal filed by Muttahida Qaumi Movement seeking removal of certain remarks from earlier judgments was also disposed of.
The Supreme Court observed that since the original decision had already been annulled, the disputed remarks automatically ceased to have legal effect. The Baldia Town factory fire remains one of Pakistan’s deadliest industrial tragedies and has been the subject of prolonged legal proceedings over the years.
Thirteen years ago on September 11, 2012, an unspeakable act of brutality occurred in which 260 innocent workers were burned alive, and hundreds more were left injured or permanently disabled. The investigation revealed that the fire was deliberately set after factory owners refused to pay extortion money. Special chemicals were used so potent that flames quickly consumed the entire factory.
The families of the victims gathered outside the factory every year to mark the anniversary of the incident. Today, the top court finally delivered justice to the oppressed.