11-Year-Old Boy to Face Trial for Gul Plaza Fire That Killed 72
At a glance
- An 11-year-old boy is set to face trial for allegedly starting a fire at Karachi's Gul Plaza Shopping Centre on January 17, which resulted in 72 deaths and 1,153…
- A charge sheet filed in court on Saturday names the boy, his father Naimatullah, and four members of the shopping plaza's management committee as accused.
- The management committee members named are Tanveer Pasta, Amar Ismail, Muhammad Ramazan, and Muhammad Ameen.
Story so far: An 11-year-old boy is set to face trial for allegedly starting a fire at Karachi's Gul Plaza Shopping Centre on January 17, which resulted in 72 deaths and 1,153… A charge sheet filed in court on Saturday names the boy, his father Naimatullah, and four members of the shopping plaza's management committee as accused.
An 11-year-old boy is set to face trial for allegedly starting a fire at Karachi’s Gul Plaza Shopping Centre on January 17, which resulted in 72 deaths and 1,153 shops being destroyed.
A charge sheet filed in court on Saturday names the boy, his father Naimatullah, and four members of the shopping plaza’s management committee as accused. The management committee members named are Tanveer Pasta, Amar Ismail, Muhammad Ramazan, and Muhammad Ameen. All six individuals have been listed as absconders.
According to the charge sheet, which lists 42 prosecution witnesses, the case is supported by eyewitness testimony. One witness, a 13-year-old boy, stated that he was at his friend Huzaifa’s shop and saw him playing with matchsticks when the fire broke out. Other witnesses reportedly confirmed that the boy’s father, who owned the shop, often left his underage son in charge. Call data records also indicated the father was not at the plaza at the time of the incident.
A district prosecutor gave the investigating officer approval to file the charge sheet without a judicial commission’s report, stating it could be submitted at a later stage.
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