Gul Plaza Fire Fuels Demands for Government Investigation
MQM-P urges PM to order a federal inquiry into the Gul Plaza blaze amid growing concern over Karachi’s recurring deadly fires.
Ateeq Ur Rehman
Karachi: The deadly fire at Gul Plaza has reignited debate over Karachi’s chronic safety failures, with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) demanding a federal-level inquiry to determine whether the inferno was accidental or the result of criminal negligence.
According to Dawn, MQM-P leader Haider Abbas Rizvi on Sunday urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to constitute an inquiry commission under the Pakistan Commission of Inquiry Act, 2017, calling the provincial government’s investigation “questionable and conflicted.”
Speaking at a press conference in Hyderabad, Rizvi proposed a multi-agency probe involving the FIA, ISI, IB, Military Intelligence, and the NDMA, arguing that only a neutral and powerful commission could uncover the truth behind the January 17 blaze that killed multiple people.
He also raised serious concerns over the handling of the fire site, alleging that debris — including human remains, was hastily removed and dumped at the Meva Shah graveyard, potentially destroying crucial forensic evidence. “This appears to be an attempt to erase evidence,” Rizvi said, warning that such actions undermine justice for victims’ families.
The MQM-P further criticised the Sindh government for registering an FIR while simultaneously conducting its own investigation. “When the government itself is under suspicion, it cannot act as investigator,” Rizvi added, questioning delays in DNA identification of victims and lack of transparency in official briefings.
The Gul Plaza fire has once again spotlighted Karachi’s long history of fatal blazes. As Dawn reported, fires in the city are rarely random. Overloaded electrical systems, illegal building modifications, blocked exits, and near-nonexistent fire safety enforcement have turned many commercial buildings into death traps.
Experts note that older plazas and markets continue operating without emergency exits, fire alarms, or compliance checks, despite repeated warnings after past disasters.
As grief turns into anger, pressure is mounting on the federal government to step in, not just to investigate Gul Plaza, but to confront a citywide safety breakdown that continues to claim lives.
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