Pakistan, April 26 -- April is fast turning out to be a cruel month for poor factory workers as yet another fire at a textile mill in Faisalabad (exactly in line with last year's twin fires in Karachi) claimed the lives of five workers. While seven others are still in critical condition, the death of a 12-year-old would add to the horrors of this country's textile industry that refuses to move beyond its barbaric obsession with cheap child labour.

As is the norm, the next few days might see a raging debate, pitting human rights activists against the business community. Heated buzzwords like sanctity of life and safety concerns would also be thrown in the mix and there might even appear severely-worded notices from the government. However...