- MQM-P stages walkout from Sindh Assembly.
- Sindh govt orders probe, promises compensation.
- Senators flag corruption, safety law violations.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has demanded a judicial inquiry into the Gul Plaza inferno, wherein at least 26 people have lost their lives, strongly criticising the Sindh government over negligence in handling the incident.
“Sindh’s image presented in Islamabad was imaginary, the PPP’s 17-year rule now stands exposed,” Ali Khurshidi, Opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly, said while speaking to journalists outside the provincial assembly floor.
The death toll in the Gul Plaza blaze continues to rise, with fatalities reaching 26 after the rescuers managed to douse the inferno after around 33 hours of arduous efforts on Monday.
The fire started late on Saturday at the sprawling, multi-storey Gul Plaza shopping centre in the city’s business district. The inferno also left parts of the building collapsed, with rescuers making way into the building by cutting windows and demolishing walls with hammers.
Speaking to reporters today, Khurshidi said the ruling party only highlights its achievements through presentations but refuses to take responsibility for repeated accidents.
Referring to the “protests and public anger”, he said what happened to ruling party figures at Gul Plaza was witnessed by everyone.
The MQM-P lawmakers also gathered in front of the Sindh Assembly speaker’s dias and chanted slogans against the government. They later staged a walkout from the assembly session.
Responding to the protest, Sindh Minister for Labour and Human Resources Saeed Ghani said MQM-P was not representing the victims by creating chaos in the house. He urged lawmakers to seriously highlight administrative shortcomings, adding that Karachi’s elected representatives should demonstrate responsibility.
Meanwhile, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said the chief minister had ordered the Karachi commissioner to investigate the Gul Plaza fire, adding that the cause of the blaze would only be determined after the inquiry.
He stressed that effective emergency arrangements in high-rise buildings are essential, and said the martyrdom of a rescue worker was proof that institutions were performing their duties.
He warned political elements against indulging in blame games and said the government would compensate traders for their losses.
‘Expansion carried out legally’
Separately, President Anjuman-e-Tajran Sindh Javed Qureshi said shops had been constructed in the basement parking area of Gul Plaza, claiming all expansions were carried out through legal procedures.
Speaking on Geo News programme “Geo Pakistan”, he said permission existed for the basement and ground-plus-one floors.
Qureshi said traders were suffering both financial and human losses, yet blame was being placed on them. He termed the situation a failure of the government, saying it was unable to rescue people and should accept responsibility for its shortcomings.
‘Corruption, safety law violation’
The incident also came under discussion in the Senate session, where Senator Khalida Ateeb said a plaza fire in Karachi had left several people missing.
She noted that the affected individuals were major taxpayers and questioned how such large malls were allowed without fulfilling safety requirements. She said there were no safety arrangements, windows had been blocked, emergency exits were absent, and the fire brigade arrived late.
Senator Ali Zafar said corruption has consequences and is clearly visible, recalling that the Supreme Court had previously ordered investigations into Karachi buildings.
He said building laws remain confined to files, safety measures are ignored, and monitoring is absent. He called for strict enforcement of building bylaws and punishment for violators, terming the situation a complete incompetence of the provincial government.
Speaking on the floor, Senator Sherry Rehman described the incident as deeply tragic and said no compensation could truly make up for the loss of lives.
She said the Sindh government is active, adding that the fire brigade was delayed due to heavy crowds at the site. She confirmed that the Sindh chief minister had announced Rs10 million compensation for each affected family.
Rehman stressed that safety rules in Karachi must be mandatory and said the Gul Plaza administration should be questioned instead of politicising the tragedy. She added that MQM-P should play its role by offering whatever assistance it could.
Reiterating Sindh’s healthcare capacity, she said the province has some of the world’s best hospitals, while noting she did not want to elaborate on how Karachi’s resources were being handled.
