Sindh govt orders judicial probe into Gul Plaza tragedy

Sharjeel Memon says Sindh High Court will be requested to appoint a serving judge to review and decide the matter

The Sindh government on Thursday announced that the investigation into the Gul Plaza tragedy would be conducted through a judicial commission.

Addressing a press conference, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said the high court would be requested to appoint a serving judge to review and decide the matter.

The minister was flanked by Karachi police chief Azad Khan and Commissioner Hassan Naqvi.

Briefing the media on the incident, Memon said that initial findings had ruled out arson. “No one set the fire. The fire started because of an 11-year-old child,” he added.

Memon said that following the Gul Plaza incident, a special cabinet meeting was convened during which a sub-committee was formed. He added that the chief minister had also constituted a separate fact-finding committee, whose report was now received.

“Today, important decisions have been taken by the chief minister in light of the committee’s report,” he said.

Providing further details, the minister said that between 2,000 and 2,500 people were present in Gul Plaza at the time the fire broke out. While many were able to escape after the incident began, 80 people lost their lives.

He said that a review of the cabinet sub-committee’s report revealed that the Civil Defence Department had conducted several fire audits of the building since 2023 but failed to take any subsequent action. He added that the district administration did not inform the government about this lapse.

“Gul Plaza management had been issued notices twice, and two safety audits had been conducted, during which they were informed that adequate safety arrangements were not in place,” he said.

He added that the director of Civil Defence and the additional controller of Civil Defence, District South Karachi, “neither informed the authorities nor took any action against the violators.”

“As a result, the director and director general of civil defence have been suspended with immediate effect,” Memon said, adding that if anyone else was found to be involved, they too would be punished.

Memon said the sub-committee also held the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation responsible for the delay in supplying water to fire tenders, which affected the firefighting efforts of the KMC, Fire Brigade, and Rescue 1122.

“So it has been decided that the chief engineer (Bulk) and the officer in charge of hydrants at the Karachi Water Corporation should be suspended with immediate effect, and a departmental inquiry will be conducted against them,” he said, adding that if any negligence or failure on the part of a senior officer or authority is found, action will also be taken against them.

He added that it was also observed that the KMC, Rescue 1122, and the Fire Brigade did not have sufficient training, firefighting equipment, or practical capabilities to cope with an incident of such severity. He, however, lauded their courage during the fire, noting that a fireman, Furqan Shaukat, also lost his life in the line of duty.

He said the senior director of municipal services should be suspended with immediate effect, and a departmental inquiry would be conducted against him for failing to adequately prepare the fire staff. He also directed the department to carry out a comprehensive needs assessment to improve the firefighting capabilities of provincial and local government departments.

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More to follow.