Gul Plaza Tragedy: Children Admit They Were Playing with Matches, Says SP City

SSP Traffic Ijaz Sheikh, while appearing before the Sindh High Court in connection with the Gul Plaza tragedy commission, stated that children were called in and their statements were recorded.

According to him, the children said they were playing with matches when the fire suddenly broke out. He added that these details are part of the ongoing inquiry.

Ijaz Sheikh informed the commission that when he reached the site, the fire was burning intensely on the main road side. He was told that the fire was spreading rapidly. On the DC Office side, the intensity was comparatively lower, and people were seen removing their belongings from that area.

He further stated that police personnel were deployed on three sides to control the crowd, but within moments, the fire engulfed all three sides. He said they were informed that two children had been playing with matches, and after recording their statements, it was confirmed that they admitted to playing. He emphasized that these findings are part of the investigation.

In his report, the SSP told the commission that the likely cause of the fire was children playing with matches along with highly flammable materials present at the site. Items such as blankets, clothes, tissue-based artificial flowers, and spray cans were reportedly stored there.

The commission also directed authorities to share the basement CCTV footage and questioned whether smoke had spread before the fire erupted. In response, Ijaz Sheikh stated that out of 17 doors of the plaza, only four were open at the time. He clarified that opening the doors was the responsibility of the association, which collects money from shopkeepers and employs security guards. According to him, association members are responsible for instructing guards to open the doors.

SSP Traffic further explained that his duty was to keep people away to ensure smooth rescue operations. He said they had no clear estimate of how many people were inside at the time. No one instructed that the doors be opened, as it was the association’s responsibility. He added that on normal days, Gul Plaza doors are closed by 10 pm, but due to Ramadan or Eid, operating hours had been extended. He stressed that the association should have made proper arrangements.

He concluded by stating that no major issues were faced during rescue operations and that the public did not hinder the efforts. He also mentioned that construction work for the Green Line project had started a month earlier. One side of the road near Gul Plaza is 12 feet wide, while the other is 15 feet wide. Across the city, 5,200 personnel are deployed, and at the time of the incident, forces were stationed at various locations.