Gul Plaza: Sindh forms committee to implement judicial inquiry recommendations

KARACHI: The Sindh government has formed a three-member ministerial committee to oversee the implementation of recommendations from the inquiry commission into the Gul Plaza incident.

While chairing a meeting at CM House in Karachi, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah reviewed the Judicial Commission report on the Gul Plaza fire incident and constituted a ministerial committee to study the report and submit its recommendations to him.

According to an official notification, the committee will be convened by Provincial Interior and Law Minister Zia Lanjar.

It will also include Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah and  Minister for Industries and Commerce Ikramullah Dharejo, while Additional Chief Secretary Interior Iqbal Memon will serve as the committee’s secretary.

The chief minister was informed that the fire incident occurred on January 17, 2026. Subsequently, a cabinet sub-committee was constituted, which approved the terms of reference (TORs).

The TORs were shared with the Sindh High Court, followed by the formal notification of the Commission of Inquiry on February 4, 2026.

The commission conducted site visits and hearings between February 16 2026 and March 25 2026, before submitting its report to the Government of Sindh on 7 April 2026.

According to the findings, the building lacked a functional firefighting system, proper alarm and communication mechanisms, and safe evacuation arrangements.

The meeting was further told that there was a delay in informing the fire brigade, and the emergency response was significantly slower than the standard response time.

The inquiry report identified multiple stakeholders as responsible.