An Anti-terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday ordered that Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) Rauf Siddiqui be made a part of the investigation regarding the deadly 2012 Baldia Factory fire, adding the MQM politician as a suspect in the case.

Acting upon Rangers prosecutor's petition, the court also ordered Rauf to cooperate with the investigation.

According to the case's supplementary charge sheet, Abdul Rehman alias Bhola, who was arrested in Bangkok through Interpol and brought back to Pakistan, during interrogation as well as before a magistrate, disclosed that he along with Zubair alias Charya, and others set the factory ablaze on the instruction of then chief of the MQM organising committee Hammad Siddiqui after the factory owners had refused to pay the demanded protection money and “partnership” in the factory.

The suspect also said that after the incident Rauf Siddiqui allegedly got a case registered against the owners of the industrial unit and then the suspect said that he came to know that Rauf and Hammad received Rs40-50 million from the owners to tone down the case against them.

The supplementary report further said that sufficient evidence was not found against Rauf, who joined the investigation and denied all charges.

Over 250 workers died in a fire in the multistorey garment factory building in Baldia Town in September 2012.