By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: A senior leader of a regional Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) party on Tuesday called on Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to dismiss three top Sindh officials, including the provincial chief minister, over the handling of a deadly fire that killed at least 73 people in a Karachi shopping mall earlier this month.
Farooq Sattar, addressing a joint press conference in the southern port city, urged Bhutto-Zardari to seek the resignations of Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, describing them as a “burden” on the PPP that could “sink” the party.
The demand intensified a war of words between the MQM-P and the PPP in the aftermath of the Jan. 17 blaze at Gul Plaza, which gutted around 1,200 shops and took nearly two days to extinguish. Sattar reiterated his party’s call for a judicial commission to investigate the incident, warning Bhutto-Zardari that the tragedy would “haunt” him like the Battle of Waterloo that ended Napoleon’s rule. “I am asking Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari sahib … to form a judicial commission on the incident … and ignore his ignorant friends,” Sattar said, adding that the probe should be independent and high-level, not handled by government machinery.
He accused the Sindh government of failing in its responsibilities, questioning why officials arrived at the scene after 24 hours, the number of fire brigades in Karachi, and the lack of standard operating procedures for future incidents. Sattar also raised concerns about the Sindh Forensic DNA and Serology Laboratory, calling its staff “inexperienced” and untrained in identifying victims through DNA tests.
The MQM-P leader suggested handing over Karachi to the federal government if the province could not manage it, adding that Sindh did not need governor’s rule but a decision specifically for the city. “Gradually handover Karachi to the federation,” he said.
The press conference followed claims by MQM-P leaders that the Sindh government had withdrawn their security details, a move they described as an attempt to intimidate them amid criticism over the fire. Sattar said the withdrawal sent a message that the provincial administration could not guarantee their safety, prompting them to consider seeking protection from federal authorities. “If you would not provide, then we will ask the Islamabad police and the prime minister to send their police,” he said.
MQM-P’s federal health minister, Mustafa Kamal, earlier told a private television channel that his security had been revoked in response to the party’s stance, reinforcing their argument that Karachi should be under central control. “Karachi should not be in control of an incompetent provincial government like Sindh’s,” Kamal said.
The Sindh government denied the allegations. Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar said no security had been withdrawn from any political figures, including MQM-P leaders. “Security arrangements for political leaders, including those from the MQM, will continue unchanged,” Lanjar said in a statement. Memon, the senior minister, dismissed the claims as “propaganda,” noting that federal ministers like Kamal and MQM-P convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui were allotted 10 police personnel each. “Whoever is entitled to it, they all have security,” Memon told reporters.
He accused the MQM-P of staging a “drama” and politicising the Gul Plaza tragedy before the final investigation report was complete. Memon said a judicial commission would be formed if shortcomings were found in the probe, but he would not resign at the MQM-P’s demand. Karachi Mayor Wahab, responding separately, said Gul Plaza had been regularized in 2003 and leased during Sattar’s tenure as mayor.
The MQM-P has also criticised the 18th Amendment, which devolved powers to provinces, claiming the PPP was taking “unfair advantage” of it. In turn, PPP leaders have accused the MQM-P of exploiting the fire for political gain, pointing to past incidents like the Baldia factory fire during MQM’s influence in the city.
Sattar defended his party, saying questions about the response were raised by the public and media, not for political motives. “We will bring justice to the victims of the Gul Plaza,” he said, vowing not to back down despite any pressure.
The fire has highlighted ongoing tensions over governance in Karachi, Pakistan’s financial hub, where rival parties have long clashed over control and resources. Sattar lamented failing to meet Bhutto-Zardari despite repeated attempts over the past year and a half, calling it his “last” effort. Haider Abbas Rizvi, another MQM-P leader present at the press conference, expressed hopes from the federal government but said they were “waiting and watching” its conduct.
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