Baldia factory fire wanted frontman Abdul Rehman alias Bhola reached Karachi on Tuesday, DawnNews reported.

Rehman arrived at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport from Bangkok under custody of two Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials.

FIA's Counter-Terrorism Wing's Deputy Director Badar Bin Baloch and Inspector Rehmatullah supervised Rehman's immigration clearance at the airport.

The accused was then taken to an undisclosed location for further investigation.

Bangkok Police arrested Rehman on Dec 3, Thai police had reported.

Rehman, 46, is an accused in the 2012 arson attack at Karachi's Baldia garment factory in which 250 workers were burnt alive.

He was detained at a hotel in the red light district Nana area of the capital on Friday evening, Thailand's Interpol chief had said.

Rehman was arrested by the FIA with the help of Interpol, Additional IG Mushtaq Mahar had said.

“As per existing law, the FIA is authorised to arrest an absconder from another country with the help of Interpol,” said the AIG.

The fire at the Ali Enterprises factory in September 2012 was one of Pakistan's worst industrial disasters.

A judicial probe into the blaze was damning, pointing to a lack of emergency exits, poor safety training for workers, the packing in of machinery and the failure of government inspectors to spot any of these faults.

Initially the fire was believed to be an accident but a Joint Investigation Team ‘reinvestigating’ the case this year termed the incident a “planned sabotage and terrorist activity”.

Opinion

Editorial

Impending slaughter
Updated 07 May, 2024

Impending slaughter

Seven months into the slaughter, there are no signs of hope.
Wheat investigation
07 May, 2024

Wheat investigation

THE Shehbaz Sharif government is in a sort of Catch-22 situation regarding the alleged wheat import scandal. It is...
Naila’s feat
07 May, 2024

Naila’s feat

IN an inspirational message from the base camp of Nepal’s Mount Makalu, Pakistani mountaineer Naila Kiani stressed...
Plugging the gap
06 May, 2024

Plugging the gap

IN Pakistan, bias begins at birth for the girl child as discriminatory norms, orthodox attitudes and poverty impede...
Terrains of dread
Updated 06 May, 2024

Terrains of dread

Restored faith in the police is unachievable without political commitment and interprovincial support.
Appointment rules
Updated 06 May, 2024

Appointment rules

If the judiciary had the power to self-regulate, it ought to have exercised it instead of involving the legislature.