MQM-P demands release of Gul Plaza judicial commission report

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Tuesday called for the immediate publication of the judicial commission report on the Gul Plaza fire incident, saying the document should be made public in the interest of transparency and justice.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi, senior MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar alleged that the government had deliberately kept the commission’s findings from the public. “Withholding the report is tantamount to shielding the real culprits behind the tragedy,” he added.

Dr Sattar, who was accompanied by Advocate Tariq Mansoor and others, urged the chief justice of the Sindh High Court to take immediate notice of the matter and ensure that the report is released.

He said the report should be made public without delay, linking its disclosure to accountability and openness over the incident.

Legal team to approach high court

Speaking at the same press conference, Advocate Tariq Mansoor alleged that facts had been misrepresented before the courts in order to protect influential individuals.

He said the party’s legal team would place material before the high court regarding what he described as corruption, negligence and administrative lapses connected to the incident. “Our legal team would present substantial evidence in the high court to expose corruption, negligence and administrative failures linked to the incident,” he added.

The MQM-P leaders made the demand publicly while pressing for judicial scrutiny of the matter and calling for the findings of the commission to be disclosed.

According to the statements made at the press conference, the party believes the report’s release is necessary to identify responsibility for the tragedy and to address concerns raised over the handling of the case.

Dr Sattar’s remarks centred on the allegation that the report had been intentionally withheld, while Advocate Mansoor focused on the party’s planned legal course in the Sindh High Court.

The press conference was held in Karachi on Tuesday, where the MQM-P leadership reiterated its demand that the judicial commission report into the Gul Plaza fire incident be brought into the public domain immediately.