The deadly fire that broke out at Karachi’s Gul Plaza on the night of January 17 took nearly two days to be completely extinguished. The blaze claimed at least 73 lives and destroyed more than 1,100 shops.
A previous charge sheet submitted in July had named six people as accused, including 11-year-old Huzaifa. However, a judicial magistrate rejected the document, observing that the investigating officer had failed to conduct a thorough and satisfactory investigation.
In the fresh charge sheet dated September 3, Nabi Bux police named four of the six individuals as accused and sent them for trial. They include Huzaifa’s father, Naimatullah, who owned an artificial flower shop; Gul Plaza Traders Association President Tanveer Pasta; and association members Ammar Ismail and Muhammad Ramzan.
According to the charge sheet, the Gul Plaza administration lacked adequate firefighting equipment to deal with a blaze of such magnitude.
The document also stated that there was no alternative lighting arrangement for emergencies, making it difficult for people to evacuate the building.
During the investigation, the complainant reportedly told police that only two of the plaza’s gates were open when the fire broke out. The charge sheet said people were unable to escape because the grills at the gates had been locked.
It further noted that the iron gates on the third floor were padlocked, suggesting that guards had closed them on the instructions of the Gul Plaza administration.
The charge sheet also alleged that the building management had K-Electric disconnect the power supply despite being aware that there was no alternative lighting arrangement in the building.
