Governor demands judicial inquiry into tragedy

Governor Kamran Tessori on Friday demanded a judicial inquiry into the Gul Plaza tragedy, saying that questions raised by the victims' families must be answered.

Addressing a press conference at the Governor House, he said nearly a week had passed since the incident, but the cries and sobs of the bereaved families had not subsided. "The affected families are here with me. They are asking what happened, why it happened, and why no one stopped it. People are asking who is responsible," he said, adding that the grief of helpless and vulnerable people should shake the conscience of anyone with a sense of humanity.

The governor said he himself visited the site when the fire was still spreading. "I reached there at around 12:55am, two hours after the fire had intensified. I took the route where BRT work was underway. Upon arrival, I called the DIG South and DIG Traffic and asked for traffic at Guru Mandir to be cleared," he said.

"I salute the Army, Navy, KPT and Rangers who reached the scene and rescued 22 people. The Corps Commander was also monitoring the situation," he added.

Tessori criticised those who, instead of consoling the victims' families, were issuing political statements. "Even after a week, politics is being played on this tragedy. There is blame-shifting, conspiracy-building, and attempts to make someone else the scapegoat so others can absolve themselves of responsibility," he said.

Referring to information shared with him by Zafar Abbas, the governor said no effective work was being carried out even days after the incident, and that families were themselves collecting the remains of their loved ones.