Gul Plaza probe

Preventable accidents has sadly been routine in Karachi, but the Gul Plaza inferno may yet mark a rare moment where official acknowledgement is followed by corrective action. The Sindh government's announcement that a judicial inquiry will be conducted into the deadly fire is a necessary step, though one that comes only after public pressure and political criticism.

Sindh's Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon's confirmation that a letter is being sent to the Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court, requesting the appointment of a serving judge to review the entire matter, signals an implicit admission that the earlier explanation — which attributed the blaze to a minor child lighting a matchstick — was neither sufficient nor reassuring. Fires do not claim at least 73 lives simply because a match is struck. More revealing than the cause itself are the findings already placed on record.

According to the cabinet sub-committee, the Civil Defence department had conducted fire safety audits of Gul Plaza and other buildings as early as 2023. The audits identified serious deficiencies, and the building management was issued notices on at least two occasions for lacking adequate emergency arrangements. Yet no effective, corrective or legal action followed.

The purpose of the judicial inquiry, however, should not end at fact-finding. Its findings must be carried forward to a relevant legal and administrative forum that ensures accountability. Thus, the outcome of successive investigations should not be limited to determining who failed, but to establishing how such failures are prevented going forward. This means recommending criminal and administrative penalties where negligence is proven, and mandating enforceable safety standards — including compulsory retrofitting of commercial buildings and regular third-party inspections. All this must be rigorous and open to public scrutiny to restore confidence and ensure that responsibility is not diluted behind closed doors.