‘Outcome of negligence and carelessness’: Police register FIR of Gul Plaza inferno

Police on Saturday registered a first information report (FIR) over the devastating Gul Plaza inferno, citing the incident as an “outcome of negligence and carelessness”.

The deadly inferno, which erupted on the night of January 17 at the mall and took nearly two days to be fully extinguished, has left the ground-plus-three-storey building in ruins, with some sections collapsed. It has so far claimed 71 lives.

South DIG Syed Asad Raza confirmed that the FIR had been registered on behalf of the state, through a police official, under relevant laws.

According to the FIR, Nabi Bux police station SHO Inspector Nawaz Ali Zardari said the police received information about the fire in the plaza at around 10:30pm on January 17.

The FIR added that the fire was “rapidly spreading and engulfed the entire plaza” while firefighters and other rescue personnel were engaged in efforts to extinguish the blaze.

It further stated that the fire erupted in shop number 193, a flower and gift shop, located on the ground floor, and quickly spread in the shopping plaza.

“Rescue work is ongoing and there are apprehensions of more deaths,” said the FIR.

The police also blamed the lack of firefighting equipment and “no reasonable arrangements” in the case of an emergency for the tragedy.

The report added that there were “no emergency exits” and that electricity had been switched off, complicating the evacuation of those inside the shopping plaza.

“Due to these reasons, precious human lives were lost and substantive financial losses also occurred.”

The FIR has been registered under Sections 322, 337-H(i), 436, and 427 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Police have not nominated anyone in the case; therefore, the FIR has been registered against unknown persons.

CM Murad announces major relief, accountability measures after Gul Plaza tragedy

On Friday, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah briefed the provincial assembly on the incident, with Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab in attendance.

Recalling that Rs10 million had been announced for the family of each deceased individual, CM Murad said the required funds have been released and handed over to the Karachi commissioner for distribution.

About the committee formed to estimate the losses faced by the businesses at Gul Plaza, he said the Sindh Assembly would compensate the affected people.

The Sindh CM announced Rs500,000 in “immediate” financial assistance for the 1,102 shops approved by the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) at Gul Plaza, and if any others had any proper documentation.

“This is for their sustenance so that they can stand back on their feet, as the rest of the programme can take two to three months,” he noted.

The chief minister further revealed that after some ministers’ efforts, 500 shops were made available in one building and 350 in another, whose owners have said they will not take any rent for one year.

“My effort is to make arrangements for them (shop occupants/renters) to get makeshift shops for two years,” Murad said.

He went on to announce that the Sindh government, through the Sindh Enterprise Development Fund, would arrange the “security/collateral” for the affected people and pay the interest if someone wanted Rs10m in loans.

The Sindh CM said Gul Plaza would likely be demolished and then rebuilt, with each shop getting the same area size it previously had. He added that the Sindh government would aim to reconstruct them within two years.

The chief minister also stated that an audit will be conducted and non-compliant buildings would be given a “brief period” to comply, failing which they would be sealed.

He further said that he has directed the provincial law minister to draft legislation for making insurance mandatory.