Gul Plaza fire report still undisclosed

In regard to the formation of a judicial committee to inquire about the tragic incident at Gul Plaza, the report has already been completed and submitted to the Government of Sindh, yet it hasn’t been disclosed to the public for some unknown reason.

According to the sources, apart from mentioning that there were no proper firefighting facilities available in the plaza, the report also mentions several aspects which caused problems for rescuers in carrying out their rescue operations. Some of those aspects were encroachment around the building, traffic jams on M.A. Jinnah Road, and ongoing construction of the Green Line project in front of the building.

The KMC fire station nearest to the location of the tragedy is situated in Saddar, just five minutes away from the tragedy site. However, because of traffic jams, encroachment, and construction work, even the first fire engine was delayed reaching the tragedy site.

The Gul Plaza disaster happened on January 17, 2026, causing many people to lose their lives. First, the government of Sindh appointed the Commissioner of Karachi for the investigation into this event and an initial report was produced. Nonetheless, due to pressure from various political and social factions, the government formed a judicial commission on February 10 with a view to investigating such a grave situation, which was led by Justice Agha Faisal of Sindh High Court.

This report was submitted by the commission after it conducted the investigation on April 7 to the Sindh Law Department, giving the government the choice to either release it or withhold it from the general public.

Following a meeting on April 9 chaired by the Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, a committee consisting of three provincial ministers – Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, and Jam Ikramullah Dharejo - was constituted to carry out the recommendations of the report and undertake reforms to ensure structural security in Karachi through fire audit of commercial structures.