KARACHI, Aug 30: In letters written to police superintendents Central and West, judicial magistrate-12, Central, Abdul Zahoor Chandio, has complained that the investigation officer of the boiler blast case has not complied with court orders. The letters ask the officials to ensure IO Mohammed’s Ilyas’ appearance in court on September 3, with a complete charge-sheet.

The IO was summoned to court on August 11 to submit a complete charge-sheet against the accused Akhtar Hussain Baloch, owner of the towel-dyeing and bleaching factory where nine men were killed after a boiler explosion on July 24, 2007. Mr Ilyas of the Taimuria police station submitted merely an interim charge-sheet and said that he was in the process of gathering evidence. The JM then directed the officer to submit a final charge-sheet on Aug 29 but he did not appear in court and submitted instead an application stating that his absence was due to his preoccupation with the investigation of another criminal case.

The IO told Dawn that he had submitted an interim charge-sheet to the court but a complete charge-sheet could not be produced until the experts’ reports from the directorate of industries were provided to the police. According to Mr Ilyas, his superiors are aware of this and are trying to get the required information from officials of other departments.

According to FIR 359/07 registered at the Taimuria police station under Sections 322/H-2, 337, 109/34 and 427 of the Pakistan Penal Code, a boiler exploded in the North Karachi factory on July 24, killing nine people and wounding 25 others. The factory owner was arrested the same day while boiler operator Mohammed Ahsanullah fled to the Punjab soon after the incident. He was arrested on July 31.