KARACHI: An antiterrorism court recorded on Thursday evidence of seven more medico-legal officers (MLOs) in the Baldia factory fire case.

Over 250 workers were burnt alive when a multistorey garment factory building in Baldia Town was set on fire in September 2012 over non-payment of protection money.

Seven MLOs from three major government hospitals of the city turned up before the judge of ATC-VII, who is conducting the trial at the judicial complex inside the central prison, and recorded their testimonies.

The MLOs deposed that they had conducted the autopsies of over 60 bodies, adding that they were totally charred and most of them were beyond recognition.

The court put off the hearing till March 17 for the evidence of remaining MLOs.

The prosecution had also examined seven MLOs at the last hearing. Around 70 MLOs had conducted the post-mortem examinations on over 250 bodies.

MQM lawmaker Rauf Siddiqui; the then MQM sector in-charge Abdul Rehman, alias Bhola; Zubair, alias Charya and others are facing the trial while the then chief of the MQM organising committee Hammad Siddiqui has been declared as a proclaimed offender.

Charge sheet against policemen

The Railways police submitted on Thursday a charge sheet before a judicial magistrate against its two policemen and a porter in a case pertaining to illegal sale of ticket.

Head countable Qasim Shah, constable Liaquat Ali and porter Mohammad Yaqoob have been booked for allegedly selling tickets illegally at the Cantonment Railway station last month.

The investigating officer said in the charge sheet that the suspects were arrested while illegally selling a ticket of Rs500 against Rs2,200 at a platform on Feb 21. The IO has placed 11 witnesses in the investigation report.

After admitting the charge sheet, a judicial magistrate (South) sent the case to an anti-corruption court for trial.

A case was registered against them under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 109 (abetment) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 5 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947 at the Railways police station Cantt.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2018