An Anti-Terrorism Court-II (ATC-II) on Saturday granted an interim pre-arrest bail to Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader and MPA Rauf Siddiqui in Baldia factory inferno case. After the revelations made by Abdul Rehman alias Bhola, the main suspect in the fire case, Siddiqui had approached ATC administrative judge to avoid his possible arrest, but he was directed to approach the trial court.

The applicant through his counsel Shaukat Hayat submitted in ATC-II that Bhola in his confession dishonestly named him for allegedly lodging a case against the factory owners.

Hayat contended that his client was neither nominated in the FIR nor named in the charge sheets or any joint investigation report, adding that the factory owners had also not named Siddiqui in the fire case. The counsel added: "Siddiqui is ready to join the investigation, but he would be arrested as the detained suspect named him during his confession on the basis of hearsay." After a preliminary hearing, the in-charge judge of ATC-II granted him pre-arrest bail against a surety bond of Rs 100,000 till January 12, 2017. According to a report, 259 people were burnt alive when a private factory located in Karachi's Baldia area was set ablaze in September 2012.

Copyright Pakistan Press International, 2017