KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Saturday demanded that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif order a high-level judicial inquiry into the deadly Gul Plaza fire, accusing the Sindh government and Karachi’s civic authorities of negligence, delays and misleading the public.
Addressing a press conference, MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar said the scale of the tragedy had exposed deep failures in governance and emergency response, raising “serious and alarming questions” for the city’s administration.
The massive blaze, which erupted late on January 17 and took nearly two days to extinguish, has claimed more than 100 lives, according to MQM-P. Several people remain missing, while hundreds of families have been affected.
“This is an extremely serious tragedy. More than 100 people have lost their lives,” Sattar said, questioning who would take responsibility for the families of those still missing. He said victims’ families were demanding the recovery of bodies from the debris, adding that many had lost everything in the fire.
Sattar criticised the Sindh government and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, accusing Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah of deflecting responsibility. “The questions are simple: how did the fire start, and why was it not controlled in time?” he said.
He also took aim at the delayed response of senior officials, claiming the chief minister arrived around 22 hours after the fire broke out, while Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab reached the site after 23 hours. “Instructions were being issued from Islamabad while Karachi was burning,” he said, adding that such remote governance had intensified public anger.
Warning against ignoring accountability, Sattar said political compromises should not be mistaken for weakness. “The people of Pakistan will not let you escape so easily,” he said.
Raising concerns over fire safety, he said most commercial buildings in Karachi lacked basic safety arrangements and warned that similar incidents could occur again. While acknowledging the fire brigade’s efforts, he questioned the city’s capacity, asking how many fire stations and fire tenders had been added over the years.
Sattar also criticised the provincial disaster response and called for scrutiny of land allotments and commercial developments, naming several projects. He accused the Sindh government of misplaced priorities, saying it focused on cosmetic projects while neglecting basic safety and infrastructure.
He said MQM-P had sought a judicial inquiry under the Pakistan Commission of Inquiry Act, adding that party convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui had formally written to the prime minister. MQM-P wants institutions including NAB, FIA, ISI, IB, NDMA, the State Bank of Pakistan and the Pakistan Engineering Council to be part of the probe.
Sindh govt hits back
Responding sharply, Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon rejected Sattar’s allegations, saying no amount of rhetoric could change the facts.
Memon said Sattar, during his tenure as Karachi mayor, played a direct and indirect role in decisions related to the Gul Plaza lease, regularisation and urban planning that contributed to unsafe construction practices. He said official records showed that lease renewals and regularisations were approved during Sattar’s time in office.
“The Gul Plaza tragedy is not the result of one day’s negligence,” Memon said, calling it the outcome of decades of flawed decisions and administrative failures. He added that those who legitimised illegal constructions could not evade moral and political accountability.
“The people of Karachi deserve the truth,” Memon said, concluding that the foundations of unsafe buildings were laid long before the current administration.
