SINDH Government deserves credit for making public the joint investigation team (JIT) reports of three high-profile cases — concerning Uzair Baloch, the Baldia Factory fire incident and former chairman of the Fishermen Cooperative Society Nisar Morai, which contain horrific details of what happened to Baldia Factory and what Uzair Baloch and Morai have been doing. The report on Baldia Factory has confirmed reports that the fire incident was not an accident but a planned act of terrorism.
Like other reports recently made public by the federal government, the three reports uploaded on the website by the provincial government have dealt with grave issues and nexuses but the exercise would prove beneficial only if proper and comprehensive action is taken in the light of the findings and recommendations of the JIT. The JIT members unanimously declared Uzair as “black” — guilty of the crimes alleged, finding that Baloch along with his gang members was involved in a large number of murders/target killings of his rivals and innocent citizens including ethnic and “politically motivated killings. Above all, he also spied for Iran, which is yet another proof of interference of otherwise ‘brotherly neighbouring country’ in internal affairs of Pakistan, which is unfortunate and should open eyes of the policy-makers. Gathering of information on Pakistan’s army installations and movement is understandable in the case of India but what Iran has to do with this information. JIT report also reveals Baldia Factory arson was carried out over the non-payment of Rs 200 million extortion and refusal to agree to a partnership in factory profits. It also pinned responsibility and observed that police dealt with it in an unprofessional manner and in a way that benefited “the offenders” instead of the victims for some “motives and gains”. We hope that those who played with the lives of innocent people would be proceeded against under the law.
