Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Thursday announced that a judicial inquiry will be conducted into the Gul Plaza fire.
“To further probe this and to promote departmental transparency, the sub-committee decided … a letter is being penned to the honourable Sindh High Court (SHC) chief justice,” Memon told a press conference in Karachi.
He added that the SHC top judge will be requested to appoint a serving judge to “review everything and decide on it”.
A cabinet sub-committee — chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and including ministers Memon, Nasir Hussain Shah, Saeed Ghani, and Ziaul Hassan Lanjar — reviewed a report submitted by a two-member team.
“The meeting with the chief minister went on for four to five hours and important decisions were made in light of the commissioner and additional IG’s report,” Memon noted.
The senior minister then listed the decisions taken by the sub-committee.
He observed that the Civil Defence department conducted fire safety audits of Gul Plaza and other buildings since 2023, but “no effective, corrective, precautionary or legal action was enforced to prevent such incidents of such nature”.
Memon said the Civil Defence director and its South district additional controller “did not bring the matter up to authorities nor took any appropriate action against violators”.
The minister highlighted that Gul Plaza’s management had received notices twice after fire safety audits, informing them they did not have adequate safety arrangements in place in case of an emergency.
Hence, both Civil Defence officials were suspended immediately as they were unable to implement either of the letters.
“Departmental action has been initiated against them under the relevant regulations,” he said, adding that action would also be taken if negligence on the part of any other official was proven.
“If it is revealed that a higher officer was asked to take action but they did not do so, they will be suspended as well,” the minister asserted.
‘Delay in supplying water to fire tenders’
The cabinet sub-committee also noted that there was a “delay in the supply of water to the fire tenders”, affecting the operations of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s fire brigade and Rescue 1122.
Therefore, Memon said, it was decided to suspend the chief engineer (bulk) and the hydrants’ incharge of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC).
“Departmental action will be initiated against them,” he said, adding that action would also be taken if “negligence or failure of any senior officer or authority” is found.
“KMC Municipal Commissioner Afzal Zaidi was removed from his post on the first day [of the incident],” the minister revealed.
“The sub-committee found that KMC Fire Brigade and Rescue 1122’s equipment, training and capabilities to deal with an incident of this nature were insufficient.”
However, Memon emphasised, KMC firefighters acted with courage despite severe equipment shortages and difficulties, noting that firefighter Furqan Shaukat lost his life in the operation.
The minister further announced that the KMC municipal service senior director will also be immediately suspended and departmental action will be taken against him for “failing to ensure the preparation of firefighting staff”.
Providing details of January 17, when the blaze erupted, Memon said there were between 2,000 and 2,500 people present in the building, including workers and visitors.
“As the fire broke out, many people escaped. Government employees managed to rescue them. Eighty people fell victim and were affected,” the minister added.
Sharjeel further said that the relevant departments must immediately conduct a needs assessment, so that provincial and municipal institutions can improve and strengthen their firefighting capabilities. He said that the assessment would focus on equipment, training, manpower and infrastructure.
“A deadline will be established for this process to prevent similar incidents in future,” the minister said, adding that CM Murad had several meetings about consolidating the city’s rescue institutions.
“The chief minister has had two or four meetings and said that rescue institutions — Rescue 1122, KMC Fire Brigade, civil defence — must be brought together,” Sharjeel explained.
“He (CM Murad) is bringing them under one roof, so that they can get state-of-the-art equipment and improved training and are ready to respond to future incidents with no shortage of resources.
‘No adequate firefighting systems’
According to the minister, the sub-committee found that Gul Plaza’s building management did not have adequate firefighting systems in place.
“This was highlighted in writing, but not implemented, so two civil defence officers were suspended,” he stated. “The building managers had a responsibility to make these arrangements after being informed and audited.
“The constructed building violated the approved building plan, which limited firefighting options and endangered public safety,” he added.
Sharjeel noted that since the management at Gul Plaza did not take measures, their role and conduct at the time of the incident will be scrutinised, amid the police investigation.
“If negligence or violations of the law are found, then legal action will be taken against those responsible,” he warned.
Continuing reading, Sharjeel added that the sub-committee also found “serious discrepancies” in the lease and approval granted by the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and KMC in 1979, 1983, 1986, 1991, 1998, 2003 and 2015.
“Anti-corruption has been instructed to assess these discrepancies in minute detail and take legal action,” he stated.
‘Government accepted its mistakes’
After reading through the report and listing the important decisions made, Sharjeel noted that the government is not above accountability and highlighted its own errors.
“Wherever there were assessments, they were carried out by the government,” he said, adding that the mistakes of other institutions were also highlighted in the report.
“We also highlighted the responsibility of building management; it is being claimed that they were never warned, but letters were written to them explaining what needed to be done,” the minister stated. “If something like this happens, there need to be arrangements in place, but they weren’t made by building management.”
The minister said that there was also detailed information with the SBCA about the original number of shops at Gul Plaza and those added over time, as well as “the size of the staircase, which people would use to escape in the event of a fire or emergency”.
He stated that the government highlighted these issues and determined those responsible, reiterating that the SHC was approached for a judicial inquiry.
Fielding questions, Sharjeel expressed his displeasure that political parties were politicising the issue, not mentioning them by name.
“From day one, we said we would not take pressure from any political parties,” he said, adding that compensation cheques had been delivered to those affected by the blaze.
“When cabinet made this decision, we said that we would examine all angles and bring them forward in a transparent manner,” Sharjeel added. “We have acknowledged our own mistakes in the report, as well as the illegal ways in which previous administrations blindly handed out leases and on what basis.”
He added that the anti-graft body would conduct an inquiry and summon the relevant people and interrogate them, to ensure transparency and “prevent finger-pointing”.
“We are answerable to the public, not a political party,” Sharjeel stated.
In response to a question about whether the incident was an accident or arson, the minister noted that the fire started in a flower shop.
Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG) Azad Khan then explained that the shopkeeper left his 11-year-old child at the shop.
“A 13-year-old child was also there. While they were playing, they took matches and lit them, which caused the fire,” he said. “People witnessed this and the children admitted to it.
“We ruled out any causes other than an accident in our committee’s findings,” he added. “We did not identify any other factors.”
Replying to another question, Sharjeel reiterated that the Sindh government was not under any pressure and that it is “doing its job”.
“This is not the first time this has happened. There have been 1,100 such incidents in one year, and our fire brigade has responded to them well,” he explained.
“This is a major incident and we are not being dictated to, nor will we be. This is about 80 valuable lives, and we want to make it as transparent as possible.”
When asked about the BRT Green Line project obstructing firefighting efforts, Sharjeel replied that the question “would be answered by the judicial inquiry”.
He noted that at the time of the incident, the government responded immediately and machinery, fire tenders, water bowsers and officials and police rushed to the scene.
“Wherever we were lacking, we will take responsibility for it,” he said.
“Look at what happens in Pakistan: whenever something like this happens, we play the blame game. Let the judicial commission’s report come out, then if any institution is at fault, they will come forward,” Sharjeel maintained. “Let the court decide.”
The minister added that this was “a serious matter that needs to be taken seriously” and reiterated that it would not be politicised.
“We’re not blaming anyone else, we have outlined the cuases and there is strong evidence. If you want the evidence, it will be shared, but it should be gathered in court for the judicial commission,” he added.
AIG Khan responded to a question and said that a first information report had been filed “after a delay”, but noted that it would determine individual responsibility and damages, and whether there was negligence and if fire safety measures were in place.
“When discussing how many fire tenders and cylinders, we were given a number. There were only cylinders deployed, as there was no other equipment to effectively respond,” AIG Khan explained. “There also needs to be fire exits and whether people can be guided, or if there are signs.
“There are no emergency exits and the existing exits are very narrow,” he added. “You saw that the fire started on the ground floor, but people died mostly on the mezzanine floor. There were very few exits and people there could not react. All of these things will be investigated.”
Asked if the government had taken the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on board, Sharjeel replied in the negative, adding that the judicial commission would not be constituted upon their request.
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