Sindh constitutes inquiry commission on Gul Plaza fire incident

KARACHI: A government notification has been issued on instructions of Sindh’s Home Minister for constitution of an inquiry commission for probe into the deadly Gul Plaza fire in Karachi.

Justice Agha Faisal has been appointed as the head of the inquiry commission tasked with probing into the incident, provincial home minister said.

Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar has said that the inquiry commission will probe into construction approval of Gul Plaza and legal status of the lease.

“The commission will also thoroughly inspect about the building plan’s violations and hindrances in emergency exits in the building,” minister said.

Home minister also called for determining discrepancies in firefighting arrangements and fire safety audit.

Minister said that the commission will also look into the cause of fire, circumstances and the speed of the rescue operation during the blaze.

“The commission headed by Justice Agha Faisal will complete the inquiry report within eight weeks,” provincial minister said.

The home minister directed the Commissioner Karachi to extend secretariat support to the inquiry commission.

The Sindh government will leave no stone unturned to provide justice to affected persons of the Gul Plaza fire incident, he said.

The Sindh High Court (SHC) had ordered a judicial inquiry into the deadly fire incident that claimed several lives and losses of property.

On the night of Saturday, January 17, a massive fire broke out at Gul Plaza on M.A. Jinnah Road, engulfing the commercial building and trapping dozens inside. The blaze raged for over 32 hours before being brought under control, exposing weaknesses in the city’s emergency response system.