'The plaza burned - and so did our livelihoods'

Daily-wage workers, salesmen stunned by ruins of Gul Plaza, fear loss of livelihoods

KARACHI:

Gul Plaza may have been reduced to ashes, but the deeper tragedy is etched on the faces of the salesmen and daily-wage workers whose livelihoods depended on the building. For them, the fire has not only destroyed a marketplace - it has extinguished hope, plunging hundreds of families into anxiety, grief and uncertainty.

Outside the charred structure, labourers stand in stunned silence, repeatedly pleading to be allowed inside to retrieve whatever little might have survived the fire. However, due to ongoing rescue operations, authorities barred entry, adding to their anguish.

They appeared helpless and distraught, asking one another the same haunting questions: How will we find work now? What will we earn? When will the shops reopen? What will we take home to our families? With Ramazan and Eid approaching, their worries have intensified.

These voices belong to the salesmen and labourers who worked in Gul Plaza - men who now spend their days and nights praying that their livelihoods may somehow be restored.

"With the plaza, my kitchen fire also went out," said Chacha Saleem sitting on a footpath nearby. Saleem, a handcart operator who transported goods to shops and warehouses inside Gul Plaza, pleaded not to be photographed. Visibly broken, he said, "I am helpless. I am the only earner in my family. We live in a rented portion in Jubilee. I used to deliver goods here - used to. When Gul Plaza burned, the fire in my home's kitchen went out as well."

Ahmed Habib, who owned a toy shop in the building, said he employed five salesmen and had been running a successful business. "Everything was normal just three days ago," he said. "I had closed my shop and left before the fire broke out. Suddenly, the flames engulfed the entire building. Some people managed to escape, but we do not know how many were trapped inside or lost their lives." He said the tragedy had reduced even wealthy traders to ruin.

Rehan, who ran a women's cosmetics shop, said his store was completely destroyed. "All of us shopkeepers are drowning in grief. At least our lives were saved, but economically we are finished. Aman Safdar, a young resident of Lyari, described Gul Plaza as an economic hub supporting thousands of households. "Ramazan and Eid season was near, when work usually improves. Instead, the fire destroyed the building and shut down businesses. This tragedy will push many families toward hunger."

For Abubakar, who supplied home-cooked lunches from Garden to several shops, the loss is devastating. "I earned around Rs2,000 a day," he said. "Now everything is gone but I believe when God closes one door, He opens another.

Raju, who worked at a crockery shop, urged the govt to set up a temporary market or bazaar nearby, so small traders could restart businesses.

As investigations and relief efforts continue, the silent suffering of Gul Plaza's workers remains a stark reminder that beyond the burnt walls lie hundreds of lives struggling to survive - waiting not for sympathy, but for work, dignity and hope.