Daily Times

The Sindh government on Monday made three joint investigation team (JIT) reports public, as earlier vowed by provincial spokesperson Murtaza Wahab at a press conference. The three JITs are related to Lyari gangwar leader Uzair Baloch, Nisar Morai and Baldia factory case.

The JIT in its conclusive report of the Baldia Town factory has revealed that the factory was torched by assailants over non-payment of Rs200 million as extortion money, reported The News. It stated that the inferno incident was ‘a terrorism act’, rejecting it as an accident where more than 250 people had been burnt alive on September 11, 2012, in Karachi. The report was signed by officers of law enforcement institutions who have contributed in the investigation of the factory fire case. The investigators revealed in the 36-page report that the factory had been torched by assailants over non-payment of Rs200 million as extortion money. The findings showed the irresponsible role of the police, which seemed to be hiding the real characters involved in the mass killing of innocent people.

The JIT investigators further stated in the report that the prime characters in the terrorism incident of Baldia Town factory fire should be brought back from abroad and their names should be included in the Exit Control List (ECL) and their passports seized. They also sought to provide protection to the witnesses of the incident. It emerged that Hammad Siddiqui and Rehman Bhola were directly involved in the terrorism incident which was previously dealt with in a non-professional manner.

In its report, the JIT has demanded to register a new FIR and nominating the prime accused, including Bhola, Siddiqui, Zubair Charya and others in the case.

The JIT in its findings said Uzair Baloch, whose father was kidnapped and killed by father of Arshad Pappu, joined Rehman Dacoit gang to avenge the murder of his father. “After killing of Rehman Dacoit in 2008, Baloch took over his gang and launched Peoples Amman Committee (PAC) under which garb, he continued his criminal activities and gang war in Lyari against Arshad Pappu and Ghaflar Zikri groups,” the report said. “Beside it, his gang war activities also continued against MOM target killers/activists in the neighbouring towns of Lyari,” it added.

The report further stated that in April 2012, police launched an operation in Lyari against PAC but suffered heavy men/material losses and failed to not enter into mainland Lyari due to stiff armed resistance from PAC gangsters and remained restricted to Cheel Chowk. “ln March 2013, Arshad Pappu was brutally killed by Uzair’s gangsters, which made Uzair Baloch the undisputed criminal king of Lyari. However, soon after the murder of Arshad Pappu, PAC gangsters developed an internal rift, where after its mainstay Noor Muhammad aka Baba Ladla, separated his group which created another strife in Lyari with Uzair Baloch gang having the upper hand,” it added.

The JIT said Uzair Baloch used his influence to get seven people of his choosing appointed as station house officers (SHOs) in Sindh Police. An individual by the name of Iqbal Bhatti was appointed DPO Lyari on the behest of Uzair Baloch while he also got Muhammad Raeesi appointed Lyari’s administrator who was wanted in cases pertaining to murders of multiple police and Rangers officials.

The report also said that despite having fled to Dubai after law enforcement initially tried to arrest him, he consistently sent back extortion money worth millions to Pakistan.

The JIT report suggested that the case be dealt under the Army Act with charges of espionage, disparaging official secrets and also advised new cases against the accused for weapons discovered from various areas in the city which were pointed out by Baloch.