Saifuddin Advocate, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader who serves as the leader of the opposition in the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) City Council, has demanded that the report of the judicial commission constituted to investigate the Gul Plaza fire tragedy be made public, saying that keeping it confidential has resulted in doubts and suspicions.
Expressing his views on the Gul Plaza fire and building safety conditions in Karachi, Saifuddin said the Gul Plaza blaze, which caused huge loss of life and property, was a major tragedy and those responsible for criminal negligence and lapses must be identified.
He said the public had the right to know what recommendations had been made by the commission and to what extent the Sindh government had acted upon them. He noted that the commission, headed by Sindh High Court Justice Agha Faisal, had recorded statements of officials from relevant departments and raised key questions during proceedings.
After completing its inquiry, the commission submitted its report to the provincial government in a sealed envelope, he said, saying that the government had since “quietly suppressed” it. The JI leader said citizens wanted to know which institutions were guilty of negligence during the incident and which officials failed in their duties. He warned that if the report was not made public, the JI would approach courts to make it public.
He also questioned why the KMC fire department had been reduced to a ‘neglected entity’, and why Rescue 1122 had failed to carry out effective operations to save those trapped inside the building.
He further raised concerns over the apparent lack of coordination during the rescue operation, asking why the Civil Defence department — responsible for preparedness, training and inter-agency coordination — failed to ensure command and control.
The KMC opposition leader also questioned the role of the Karachi commissioner and relevant deputy commissioner, criticising the committee headed by the commissioner for submitting a ‘substandard report’.
He said serious questions were also being raised about the role of Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, including his delayed arrival at the scene and the absence of any comprehensive disaster management planning in the city.
Saifuddin also criticised the fire brigade under the mayor’s authority and pointed out the water corporation’s delayed supply of water during the firefighting operation as a major lapse. He alleged that the Sindh Building Control Authority had played a ‘worst possible role’ by regularising serious violations and failing to ensure safety measures in the building.
He added that thousands of illegal structures continued to be built across the city without proper oversight, posing risks of future disasters. The JI leader said that if the commission’s report was incomplete, further investigation should be carried out, but he stressed that making the report public was essential.
