Karachi, March 15: A judicial commission investigating the devastating fire at Gul Plaza Mall in Karachi on January 17 has been informed that rescue services arrived late during the crucial early hours of the incident, failing to evacuate those trapped inside.
Tanveer Pasta, chairman of the Gul Plaza Mall Management Committee, made this claim while responding to questions from Justice Agha Faisal of the Sindh High Court, who leads the single-judge commission. Pasta asserted that the building’s exits were open and operational at the time of the incident, contradicting eyewitness accounts that stated the exits were closed.
The horrific fire at Gul Plaza claimed the lives of 80 individuals and left many injured, sparking public outrage. Citizens accused the Sindh government and Karachi’s mayor of delayed action.
According to a report by the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, Pasta dismissed the fire department’s statement that the first fire truck arrived at 10:37 PM on January 17. He claimed that the first vehicle actually arrived at 10:55 PM, but ran out of water within 20 minutes. Two additional fire trucks reached the scene around 11:30 PM.
Pasta noted that at the time of the incident, the complex housed 1,153 shops with 3,456 vendors and employees. Between 250 to 300 customers were inside the building during the fire. He stated that, thanks to the management committee’s efforts, most individuals were successfully evacuated using the available exits, although those on the mezzanine floor could not be rescued.
The mezzanine floor, located above the shops, is often used for storage and was designed to increase space.
Pasta reported that 72 fatalities occurred on the upper floors, with 51 victims linked to Gul Plaza. He refuted claims from fire and rescue services, as well as eyewitness statements, that several exit points were closed. He claimed there were a total of 16 exits in the building, 13 on the ground floor and three in the basement, all of which were open and functional at the time of the fire.
Dawn quoted Pasta stating, “It can be clearly seen that during the inspection after the fire, only one shutter on the second floor was found closed. However, there was no lock near the shutter.”
In response to inquiries about calls and messages from trapped individuals, the statement indicated that management had rescued several people based on their calls and reported locations. However, due to limited resources from emergency services, Rescue-1122, and the fire brigade, many could not be evacuated.
Pasta remarked, “The rescue service actually became active after the Fajr prayer, but by then it was too late, as the fire had become uncontrollable.”
He accused responders of lacking the necessary tools, masks, and equipment to enter the building and rescue those remaining on the mezzanine floor. There was also no foam available to extinguish the fire. In fact, during the first few hours of the fire, responders made no attempts to rescue the trapped individuals.
Pasta criticized the rescue service as entirely ineffective and impractical, noting that seven generators were installed on the roof for backup emergency lighting, of which five were operational.
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