Gul Plaza challan sent to prosecution without judicial commission report

KARACHI: Police have forwarded the challan in the Gul Plaza fire case to the prosecution, but the charge sheet does not include the report of the judicial commission set up to investigate the blaze that killed 72 people.

The challan was submitted in Karachi City Court by investigating officer Nabi Bakhsh and is now pending review by the prosecution before it is presented to the trial court. Legal sources told Express Tribune that most objections raised during the investigation remain unresolved, while the judicial commission’s findings have not been attached to the case file.

According to the investigating officer, the fire was classified as accidental on the basis of a report by the Punjab Forensic Science Agency, which found no evidence of explosive material at the site. Investigators said the fire began in Shop No 193.

Police have named shopkeeper Naimatullah and his 11-year-old son Huzaifa as the main accused, with the challan identifying Huzaifa as the primary suspect. The report says Naimatullah regularly left the child in charge of the shop. According to the police investigation, Huzaifa lit matchsticks and threw them away, causing artificial flowers in the shop to catch fire and setting off the blaze.

Market committee leaders named in case

The challan also names the full office-bearers of the Gul Plaza Market Committee as accused: president Tanveer Pasta, vice president Ammar Ismail, general secretary Muhammad Amin and joint secretary Muhammad Ramzan. Police have declared all four absconders and said none of them has been arrested so far.

The investigation attributes the tragedy to negligence at several levels. It holds Naimatullah and Huzaifa responsible for carelessness and says the market union failed to stop a minor from working at the shop, describing this as a violation of child labour laws. Investigators also said the union did not promptly contact emergency services or seek help after the fire broke out, causing delays at a critical time.

The challan further states that all gates of Gul Plaza were closed during the incident and that union officials failed to ensure they were opened quickly.

The report also alleges that Gul Plaza Committee president Tanveer Pasta told K-Electric to cut the power supply. According to the investigation, the resulting darkness left people trapped inside the building, while blocked escape routes were identified as a major reason for the high death toll.

Witness statements recorded

The fire occurred in July 2024 and remains one of the country’s deadliest recent fire incidents. Authorities have confirmed that the remains of four victims are still unclaimed in morgues.

During the investigation, police recorded statements from four eyewitnesses before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, giving those statements evidentiary value in court proceedings. With the judicial commission report left out of the challan and several objections still unresolved, the case now moves to the prosecution for scrutiny.