Gul Plaza Inferno: Why Traders Thanked the Sindh Rangers and Pakistan Navy?

As the smoke billowed from the upper floors of Gul Plaza on M.A. Jinnah Road yesterday, enveloping Karachi’s skyline in black despair, two contrasting realities became visible through the haze. One was the agonizing cry of a trader association president breaking down in tears, pleading for resources. The other was the sheer grit of the men who actually showed up to fight the flames.

The fire that tore through the first three floors of one of Karachi’s busiest commercial hubs has resulted in catastrophic losses. But let’s be honest—goods can be bought again. Lives cannot. With terrifying estimates suggesting anywhere from 40 to 100 people may still be trapped inside, this isn’t just a financial disaster; it is a developing humanitarian crisis. The sheer desperation in the voice of Tanveer Qasim, the traders’ leader, was enough to break your heart. It should also shame every single official in this province who wasn’t there. When citizens have to beg for water for the fire trucks and diesel just to keep the pumps running, the system hasn’t just faltered. It has collapsed.

In this vacuum of political leadership, however, the real heroes stepped forward. We must give full credit to the brave men of the Fire Department, who battled the blaze with everything they had, even as their trucks reportedly ran dry of water and fuel due to systemic negligence. They stood their ground in the heat while the bureaucracy failed to support them.

But they weren’t alone. Javed Qureshi, President of the All Pakistan Anjuman Tajiran, did not mince words when thanking the other saviors of the day. His gratitude was directed at the Pakistan Navy and the Sindh Rangers. “Without the Rangers and the Navy, the losses would have been far greater,” he admitted. The arrival of the 92 Wing of the Abdullah Shah Ghazi Rangers under DSR Mukhtar at 11:00 PM proved to be the turning point. When the city’s resources were stretched to the breaking point, the Navy’s teams and the Rangers stepped into the inferno to manage the chaos and assist the exhausted firefighters.

The traders’ open salute to these forces highlights a grim reality of Karachi’s governance: in times of supreme crisis, the citizens look to the uniform for rescue.

The political commentary from the ground was stinging. Qureshi’s sarcastic remark that a “missing persons” advertisement should be issued for the Mayor of Karachi reflects the deep-seated anger of the business community. Where is the local government when the economic heart of the city is on fire? The silence from the municipal corridors stands in sharp contrast to the immediate mobilization of the armed forces and fire crews. It speaks volumes that the traders’ association, in their desperation, has appealed directly to Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir for assistance, bypassing the layers of civilian administration that let them down.

We must also face the uncomfortable truth about our own safety culture. The admission by the association leaders that proper safety precautions were not in place is a tragedy in itself. Short circuits are preventable. Storing billions in inventory without fire suppression is a ticking time bomb.

Yet, as search and rescue operations continue amidst fears for the trapped, the focus must remain on the immediate response. The appeal to the Federal Government, the Sindh Government, and Field Marshal Munir is a cry for coordinated action. We need to save the lives still inside.

The disaster at Gul Plaza has exposed the broken fault lines of our urban management. But it has also showcased who actually holds the line when disaster strikes. While politicians are “missing,” the brave firefighters, soldiers, and sailors are the ones holding the hoses and clearing the rubble. It is time the city’s administration stopped relying on them to patch every hole and started building a system that doesn’t run out of water while the city burns. Karachi’s traders have paid billions in taxes; the least they deserve is a fire brigade that is fully supplied and a Mayor who shows up.