• Director-land fails to answer Justice Agha Faisal’s questions about status and lease of shopping mall
• SBCA chief concedes original documents pertaining to action against building violations not found
KARACHI: The Gul Plaza Judicial Commission on Thursday summoned the municipal commissioner as an official of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) could not assist it and was unaware about the facts and record of the ill-fated building.
The single-member commission headed by Justice Agha Faisal of the Sindh High Court also recorded the testimonies of various officials, including Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) Director General Muzammil Hussain Halepoto, Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) Chief Executive Officer Ahmed Ali Siddiqui, Deputy Commissioner (South) Javed Nabi Khoso and Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed.
At the outset of the hearing on Thursday, Director Land (lease) KMC Syed Adnan Hyder Zaidi turned up to testify before the commission, but he could not offer a satisfactory reply to various questions about the legal status and lease of the plot in question.
The commission summoned the municipal commissioner, who is the top bureaucrat of the KMC administration, to appear in person for recording statement and provision of relevant records on Feb 23.
‘SBCA has no record of notices sent to Gul Plaza admin over violations’
SBCA DG Halepoto deposed that one Anwar Ali got the building plan approved in 1979, the construction started in 1986, while the lease of the plot had expired in 1983 and the same was renewed in 1991.
A revised plan was approved in 1998, and dozens of unauthorised shops were regularised in 2003, and an application was filed seeking a sale no objection certificate (NOC) in 2005, but in fact all the shops were already sold out apart from the basement, he added.
He also maintained that permission was sought in 2015 to build additional floors, but the same was turned down. The mezzanine floor of the building was not available in the records of the authority, and there were a total of 18 gates in the building, he added.
When the commission inquired about records and action taken by the SBCA over these violations, the SBCA chief conceded that only photocopies of such documents were available, as the original record could not be found.
He also claimed that the role of SBCA ended after issuing the completion certificate of a building and therefore, the management of the building was responsible. However, action can be taken if the complaints were filed or on the recommendations made by building inspectors.
The commission also confronted him about the number of notices issued to Gul Plaza management regarding such violations. In reply, the SBCA chief said that no such record was available, and that it was an uphill task to inspect all buildings across the province, as the authority has only 1,381 employees.
KWSC chief says nearest hydrant was 14 kilometres away from shopping mall
KWSC CEO Siddiqui deposed that an emergency was declared at all hydrants soon after receiving information about the blaze from the chief fire officer and the nearest hydrant was 14 kilometres away from the ill-fated building.
Replying to a question of commission about dedicated water lines for fire stations, he stated that water was provided to fire tenders for six hours on a daily basis from the hydrants and a water storage facility was also available at the headquarters of the fire brigade.
DC (South) Khoso testified that he was rushed to Gul Plaza after receiving information about the blaze and contacted the emergency services while many people had managed to come out of the building in 20 to 30 minutes after the fire broke out.
Dr Summaiya Syed testified that initially, eight injured persons were brought to the Burns Centre at the Civil Hospital, and they were discharged after providing necessary treatment.
She also stated that six and 19 bodies were brought on Jan 18 and Jan 19, and therefore, human remains were brought to the hospital in the next five days, and the same were beyond recognition and DNA samples were collected for identification.
Pakistan Infrastructure Development Company General Manager Shafi Chachar informed the commission that the M. A. Jinnah Road has been partially closed due to the Green Line extension project, and hurdles were removed for fire tenders to timely reach the site.
Management doesn’t have sub-lease record: Pasta
Gul Plaza Traders Association president Tanveer Pasta, who had recorded his statement on Wednesday, also turned up on Thursday in pursuance of the commission’s directive and further testified that usually, the plaza was closed between 10:30 to 11pm, and the gates of the building gradually started closing from around 10:30, and it took 20 to 25 minutes for the complete shutdown.
He said that 280 CCTV cameras were installed at the building and in 2003 the parking was shifted from the basement to the rooftop.
He further stated that the record of sub-lease was not available with the management of the building, as it was only collecting maintenance charges and managing the CCTV cameras and watchmen.
The commission asked a provincial law officer to inform it whether the Rescue 1122 service came within the domain of the provincial or city governments.
Adjourning the hearing till Monday, the commission also handed over questionnaires to these officials/witnesses and directed them to submit the same at the next hearing.
Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2026
