KARACHI: An antiterrorism court recorded on Friday testimonies of five prosecution witnesses in a case pertaining to the Baldia factory fire in which over 250 workers were killed.

The ATC-VI judge, who is conducting the trial in the judicial complex inside the Central Jail Karachi, summoned more witnesses on July 21 to record their statements.

On Friday, five police officials appeared and testified that they were posted at different police stations when the deadly fire broke out in the Ali Enterprises garments factory in Baldia Town on September 11, 2012.

They further testified that they visited the factory and collected the bodies of the perished workers.

They deposed that several bodies were charred beyond recognition. They added that various victims’ burnt limbs were found scattered. A single limb was also considered as body, the police officials deposed.

They told the court that several bodies were identified with the help of data in the mobile phones belonging to the victims. The officials deposed that after collecting the bodies they sent the same to hospitals for the post-mortem examinations and later completed legal procedures as required under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

After recording their testimonies, the ATC-VI judge summoned more witnesses to appear and record their statements on July 21.

Witness cross-examined in graft case

The accountability court-I judge on Friday fixed July 20 for cross-examination of a key prosecution witness in a case pertaining to alleged corruption against former provincial information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and 13 others.

The defence counsel partially held cross-examination of prosecution witness Zeenat Jahan, who is currently posted as information director in the provincial information department at Karachi. Sharjeel Memon and other suspects appeared before the court.

In May, Ms Jahan had recorded her statement against former minister Memon and others in a reference pertaining to alleged corruption in award of government advertisements to the electronic media.

The witness deposed that while she was posted as director in the provincial information department she had observed massive financial corruption and misuse of powers in the department and, therefore, she lodged a complaint with the NAB Karachi in June 2014.

She further testified that corruption and corrupt practices had been carried out for long in the information department, adding that then provincial information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, then information secretary Zulfiqar Shalwani and then deputy directors Yousuf Kabooro, Mansoor Ahmed Rajput and Anita Baloch were involved in massive corruption in the department.

“The flagrant corruption was also made in the electronic media campaign as the advertisements have been awarded on exorbitant rates to certain advertising agencies,” she said.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2018