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Gul Plaza Fire Tragedy: Court Hearing Held on Negligence Charges

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At a glance

  • A court hearing was held on Sep 5 in the Gul Plaza fire tragedy case.
  • The building management is accused of negligence in the fire that killed 73 people.
  • Four individuals, including the traders' association president, are named in the charge sheet.

Story so far

A deadly fire at Karachi's Gul Plaza on January 17 claimed 73 lives and destroyed over 1,100 shops. Police have submitted a charge sheet to a local court, blaming the 'negligence' of the building management. The report names four individuals, including the traders' association president, and highlights critical safety failures such as locked gates and a lack of fire-fighting equipment. A court hearing on the matter was held on September 5.

Latest development

A hearing in the case was held at a city court in Karachi on September 5, following the submission of a detailed charge sheet blaming the building management for negligence.

Latest updates

A hearing in the Gul Plaza fire tragedy case was held at a city court in Karachi on Saturday, September 5.

A fresh police charge sheet submitted to a Karachi court has provided new details on the investigation into the deadly Gul Plaza fire, which claimed 73 lives and destroyed over 1,100 shops on January 17.

The report names four individuals as accused: Gul Plaza Traders Association President Tanveer Pasta, association members Ammar Ismail and Muhammad Ramzan, and shop owner Naimatullah. This follows the rejection of a previous charge sheet in July.

The investigation details multiple points of alleged negligence by the building's management. According to the charge sheet, the administration lacked adequate fire-fighting equipment for a building of its size and had no alternative arrangement for emergency lighting. The report also notes that only two of the building's gates were open at the time of the fire, with others, including iron gates on the third floor, found locked, hindering escape and rescue efforts. Furthermore, the management reportedly had K-Electric switch off the power supply without having any backup lighting.

The charge sheet commended the efforts of the fire brigade, Rescue 1122, and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) in tackling the blaze.

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