KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday granted interim bail to the owners of the fire-struck garment factory in Karachi's Baldia Town, DawnNews reported.

Defence lawyer Aamir Mansoor Qureshi said the court had granted bail to the factory's three owners.

The bail of Abdul Aziz, Shahid Bhaila and Rashid Bhaila was granted by the Sindh High Court's Larkana registry.

Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi approved the eight-day bail of the owners keeping securities of half a million rupees each.

Qureshi said the judge instructed the police that the factory owners could not be arrested for eight days under bail conditions.

The court also asked the owners to surrender their passports and ordered them not to leave the country.

A case against the owners had been registered by the police in Karachi on Thursday.

The government had ordered an inquiry and a senior official had already told AFP that the two brothers who owned the factory had been barred from leaving the country.

The case has been filed against Abdul Aziz, Mohammad Arshad and Shahid Bhaila and other members of the management of Ali Enterprises, Mohammad Nawaz Gondal, the head of the local police station, had told AFP on Thursday.