This is with reference to the report ‘After SC verdict, families of Baldia factory fire seek answers’ (June 14). In its verdict, the Supreme Court (SC) granted the benefit of doubt to the accused as out of about 400 witnesses, only one had claimed to have seen one of the accused with a chemical bag, while none saw the fire being ignited. The incident had happened on Sept 11, 2012, when 259 workers lost their lives in the fire. Even though it appeared to be a deliberate act of arson, the lack of safety measures did contribute to the scale of the loss.

While talking at the Karachi Press Club on June 13, an official of the National Trade Union Federation (NTUF), as quoted by the said report, rightly said that following the SC judgement, “it now appears that no one is responsible” for the fire and the deaths it caused.

The Sindh government is said to have filed a petition before the SC, seeking review of its judgement dated June 10, stating that the latter had suffered from “error of facts, circumstances, confessional statement and violation of law of vicarious liability and common object”.

Based on confessional statements, the trial court and later the Sindh High Court (SHC) had awarded death sentences to the accused. Even if the death sentences awarded to the accused by the lower courts had been upheld by the SC, it would not have provided any relief from financial distress to the families of the fire victims. Their main issue continues to remain the inadequate compensation, which they have been given despite the grant of $5.15 million compensation fund by the German retailer for the victims’ families.

Besides, the bereaved families should also be provided medical treatment by the Sindh Employees’ Social Security Institution and a monthly pension by the Employees’ Old-age Benefits Institution (EOBI). If the deceased workers were not registered under the schemes, their families should not be made to suffer due to the fault of the factory’s owner.

Parvez Rahim
Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2026