KARACHI: A sessions court on Wednesday re-issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of Rizwan Qureshi, the man who allegedly disclosed that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement was behind the Baldia factory fire, and his guarantors in six cases.

The accused who along with his accomplices has been charged with possessing an illicit weapon and five murders made the headlines in February when Rangers filed a joint investigation team (JIT) report before the Sindh High Court during the hearing of a petition about the Baldia factory fire case.

He was set free in October 2014 after the court granted him bail in the six cases. However, he did not attend the court after the Rangers filed the JIT report. The court has repeatedly issued his arrest warrants since Feb 25 and also asked the guarantors to produce him.

Know more: MQM disowns ‘worker’ who blamed it for factory fire

The cases were fixed for evidence before Additional District and Sessions Judge (south) Sikandar Ameer Pahore, who is conducting the trial in the judicial complex in the Karachi central prison.

When the cases came up for hearing on Wednesday, the investigation officers informed the court that previous warrants were not executed since the police remained unable to arrest the accused.

The guarantors of the accused also did not turn up. One of the IOs moved an application asking the court to initiate proceedings to declare the accused a proclaimed offender.

However, the court issued non-bailable warrants against the accused and his guarantors and asked the police to arrest them and produce before it till June 11.

According to the prosecution, Rizwan Qureshi was arrested in June 2013 for allegedly carrying a sub-machine gun and during interrogation he disclosed to his alleged involvement in the other cases. He along with his accomplices allegedly killed Mohammad Idrees, Syed Raheel and Salahuddin in July 2011 in North Nazimabad, it added.

The prosecution further said that the accused along with his aides was also allegedly involved in the killing of Mohammad Furqan and Ahmed Ali at a poultry shop in Korangi in October 2012, while he was also alleged to have involved in the killing of Bismillah Khan at his eatery in New Karachi in February 2010.

The suspected hit man was also charged with the murder of a roadside vendor, Abdul Hakeem, near a park in New Karachi in May 2010 and Noor Zaman in August 2008 in New Karachi, it concluded.

According to the JIT report, prepared in June 2013 and submitted in the SHC on Feb 6 this year, he disclosed that the Baldia factory was set on fire after its owners failed to pay protection money. The JIT report marked him as an MQM worker, a charge vehemently denied by the party.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2015

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