Karamat Ali on the 2012 Pakistan Factory Fire

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IHRB's Salil Tripathi speaks with Karamat Ali about a pivotal case in Pakistan, when a large fire at a garment factory killed more than two hundred workers. A German company bought most of that factory's production, and in this conversation Ali describes how a coalition with German politicians, trade union movements, and civil society was built in the campaign for victim compensation. He also talks about the prospects for such coalitions to work together for justice in future.

Karamat Ali is executive director at the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER). He has extensive experience as a trade unionist dating back to the 1970s and has contributed to strengthening the trade union movement and building links with civil society groups in Pakistan. He has degrees from the University of Karachi and the Institute for Social Studies in The Hague, Netherlands. He has also played a prominent role in promoting peace between Pakistan and India. He is a member of the International Advisory Committee, Hague Appeal for Peace, and member International Council World Social Forum.