Prosecutor Demands Addition of Gul Plaza Inquiry Report to Indictment

In the investigation into the tragic Gul Plaza fire in Karachi, the prosecution has returned the indictment—prepared by the investigation officer and found to be deficient—for the third time. The prosecution cited the officer's failure to include the Justice Commission's critical report in the indictment and to address previously noted shortcomings, requesting the document to be corrected and resubmitted. This development marks a significant delay, as the investigation process has yet to proceed properly despite six months having passed since the fire, preventing necessary legal actions.

In the latest attempt, the officer attributed responsibility to four union officials and the owner of the artificial flower shop, Naimatullah, and his son, accusing them of criminal negligence. However, sources indicate that the officer failed to include the names of officials from relevant regulatory bodies and former union members involved in illegal construction, and did not obtain reports on the building's structural compliance from the relevant authorities. Additionally, it is stated that the findings of the joint investigation team or the judicial commission are missing from the file, and the suspects are charged with general expressions rather than concrete evidence.

The most critical deficiency underlying the return of the indictment is the comprehensive report prepared by the judicial commission led by Justice Agha Faisal and presented to the provincial government being ignored by the officer. The prosecution has made it a condition to include this report in the indictment and implement its recommendations, seeking to fully elucidate the official negligence and security lapses that caused the fire. Furthermore, the officer failed to sufficiently scrutinize the power utility K-Electric and the union president for cutting off the electricity during the fire, causing people to be trapped inside.

Forensic reports on the origin of the incident found no explosive or flammable substance, but stated the fire resulted from the negligence of the owner of shop No. 193. It is suggested that the owner left his 11-year-old son unattended, and sparks from the child playing with matches triggered the fire, causing the building to rapidly catch flame. However, the lack of fire safety equipment in the building and the failure of union officials to intervene at the time are cited as the biggest factors in the tragedy's escalation.

Due to the doors being kept closed and the electricity being cut off during the fire, many citizens trapped inside could not be evacuated, resulting in the loss of 72 lives and injuries to 8. Although the majority of the bodies have been handed over to their families, the prosecution has called the officer back to duty to address deficiencies and prepare a new indictment in order to fully illuminate the chain of negligence. This process brings the serious gaps in building inspection and emergency management systems in Pakistan to the agenda once again.