By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: Sindh province’s senior minister said on Thursday a judicial inquiry would be conducted into a deadly fire at Karachi’s Gul Plaza that killed dozens, as a government sub-committee suspended several officials for negligence and highlighted failures in fire safety enforcement.
Sharjeel Inam Memon, speaking at a press conference in Karachi, said the sub-committee had decided to request the chief justice of the Sindh High Court to appoint a serving judge to lead the probe. “To further probe this and to promote departmental transparency, the sub-committee decided … a letter is being penned to the honourable Sindh High Court (SHC) chief justice,” Memon said. The SHC top judge would be asked to appoint a serving judge to “review everything and decide on it.”
The announcement came after a cabinet sub-committee, chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and including ministers Memon, Nasir Hussain Shah, Saeed Ghani and Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, reviewed a report from a two-member team comprising the commissioner and additional inspector general of police. “The meeting with the chief minister went on for four to five hours and important decisions were made in light of the commissioner and additional IG’s report,” Memon said.
The sub-committee found that the Civil Defence department had carried out fire safety audits of Gul Plaza and other buildings since 2023, but “no effective, corrective, precautionary or legal action was enforced to prevent such incidents of such nature.” Memon said the Civil Defence director and its South district additional controller “did not bring the matter up to authorities nor took any appropriate action against violators.”
He noted that Gul Plaza’s management had received notices twice after the audits, informing them they lacked adequate safety arrangements for emergencies. As a result, both Civil Defence officials were suspended immediately for failing to implement the notices. “Departmental action has been initiated against them under the relevant regulations,” Memon said, adding that action would also be taken if negligence by any other official was proven. “If it is revealed that a higher officer was asked to take action but they did not do so, they will be suspended as well,” he said.
The sub-committee also identified a “delay in the supply of water to the fire tenders,” which hampered operations by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s fire brigade and Rescue 1122. Consequently, the chief engineer (bulk) and the hydrants’ incharge of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation were suspended. “Departmental action will be initiated against them,” Memon said, adding that further action would follow if “negligence or failure of any senior officer or authority” was found.”
KMC Municipal Commissioner Afzal Zaidi was removed from his post on the first day [of the incident],” the minister said. The sub-committee determined that the KMC Fire Brigade and Rescue 1122 lacked sufficient equipment, training and capabilities to handle an incident of this scale. However, Memon praised the KMC firefighters for their courage despite the shortages and difficulties, pointing out that firefighter Furqan Shaukat lost his life in the operation. The minister announced that the KMC municipal service senior director would be immediately suspended and face departmental action for “failing to ensure the preparation of firefighting staff.”
Detailing the events of Jan. 17, when the blaze broke out, Memon said between 2,000 and 2,500 people, including workers and visitors, were in the building. “As the fire broke out, many people escaped. Government employees managed to rescue them. Eighty people fell victim and were affected.” Memon called for relevant departments to immediately conduct a needs assessment to bolster provincial and municipal firefighting capabilities, focusing on equipment, training, manpower and infrastructure. “A deadline will be established for this process to prevent similar incidents in future,” he said, noting that Chief Minister Shah had held several meetings on consolidating the city’s rescue institutions. “The chief minister has had two or four meetings and said that rescue institutions — Rescue 1122, KMC Fire Brigade, civil defence — must be brought together,” Memon said. “He (CM Murad) is bringing them under one roof, so that they can get state-of-the-art equipment and improved training and are ready to respond to future incidents with no shortage of resources.”
Memon said the management at Gul Plaza would face scrutiny in the ongoing police investigation for their role and conduct during the incident. “If negligence or violations of the law are found, then legal action will be taken against those responsible,” he said. The sub-committee also uncovered “serious discrepancies” in the lease and approvals granted by the Sindh Building Control Authority and KMC in 1979, 1983, 1986, 1991, 1998, 2003 and 2015. “Anti-corruption has been instructed to assess these discrepancies in minute detail and take legal action,” Memon said.
Acknowledging government shortcomings, Memon said the administration was not above accountability. “Wherever there were assessments, they were carried out by the government,” he said, adding that the report highlighted mistakes by other institutions as well. “We also highlighted the responsibility of building management; it is being claimed that they were never warned, but letters were written to them explaining what needed to be done,” the minister said. “If something like this happens, there need to be arrangements in place, but they weren’t made by building management.”
Responding to questions, Memon expressed displeasure over political parties politicising the issue, without naming them. “From day one, we said we would not take pressure from any political parties,” he said, adding that compensation cheques had been delivered to those affected. “When cabinet made this decision, we said that we would examine all angles and bring them forward in a transparent manner,” Memon said. “We have acknowledged our own mistakes in the report, as well as the illegal ways in which previous administrations blindly handed out leases and on what basis.”
He said the anti-graft body would conduct an inquiry, summon relevant people and interrogate them to ensure transparency and “prevent finger-pointing.” “We are answerable to the public, not a political party,” Memon said. On whether the fire was an accident or arson, Memon noted it started in a flower shop. Additional Inspector General of Police Azad Khan said the shopkeeper had left his 11-year-old child at the shop. “A 13-year-old child was also there. While they were playing, they took matches and lit them, which caused the fire,” Khan said. “People witnessed this and the children admitted to it.” “We ruled out any causes other than an accident in our committee’s findings,” he added. “We did not identify any other factors.”
Asked about the BRT Green Line project potentially obstructing firefighting, Memon said the judicial inquiry would address it. He noted that the government responded immediately with machinery, fire tenders, water bowsers, officials and police at the scene. “Wherever we were lacking, we will take responsibility for it,” he said. “Look at what happens in Pakistan: whenever something like this happens, we play the blame game. Let the judicial commission’s report come out, then if any institution is at fault, they will come forward,” Memon said. “Let the court decide.”
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