January 21, 2026
KARACHI – The Sindh chief secretary had formed the body on Monday, comprising Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi and the Karachi additional inspector general, directing that a report be submitted within seven days.
Sources told Dawn that the committee held its first meeting on Tuesday, led by the Karachi commissioner. They said the committee called officials from the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Fire Brigade, Rescue 1122 and the owner of the mall and sought details from them.
Meanwhile, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said that based on the KMC’s audit of various buildings, the SBCA had started to “take action”.
“A letter with a list of non-compliant buildings has been sent to the Association of Builders and Developers (Abad),” he said on X.
The SBCA letter attached with the post and addressed to the Abad chairman said that the KMC’s fire department had conducted a fire safety audit and identified owners/builders who had failed to meet safety requirements.
It called on the Abad chairman to direct its members to comply with the deficiencies highlighted within three days. “Immediate action is expected in the interest of public safety and the city at large, please,” the letter said.
The fire had erupted on Saturday night. The plaza, parts of which collapsed due to the blaze, was a ground-plus-three-storey building with 1,200 shops spread over 8,000 square yards.
Death toll reaches 28
On Tuesday, a large crowd was seen gathered at the scene, with law enforcement creating temporary barriers to prevent people from going toward the plaza. Smoke could still be seen emanating from the building’s rubble.
Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn that the death toll had reached 28. She said the dead also appeared to include five women. The police surgeon said that officials had conducted a post-mortem examination of “fragmentary human remains”.
She said that so far, a total of eight bodies had been identified. She said that doctors had collected 48 samples from relatives for DNA profiling and cross-matching.
Karachi South Deputy Inspector General Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that out of a total 75 missing persons, the locations of 38 were found to be at Gul Plaza through geo-fencing. He said the location of the remaining could not be confirmed.
He added that DNA samples were sent to the Sindh Forensic DNA and Serology laboratory at the University of Karachi’s International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences and they expected the process of cross-matching to continue for the next two to three days.
Rescue 1122 spokesperson Hasssanul Haseeb Khan told Dawn that rescue workers had finally accessed the building’s basement, first and second floors, where both rescue and search operations were underway.
He asserted that the rescue operation would continue until the last missing person was recovered. The spokesperson said that a small portion of the nearby Rimpa Plaza high-rise was “partially” affected by the continuous exposure to heat.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by Keamari police said that the merchandise salvaged from the rubble was being shifted to the KMC Ground, adding that a contingent had been deployed to ensure security.
All Gul Plaza records available, SCBA maintains
The SBCA also rejected reports that the building records for the shopping mall were not available, deeming them “baseless and contrary to facts”.
“The impression being given that the records of Gul Plaza are not available with the SBCA is incorrect,” the authority said in a statement. It said that all approved records related to Gul Plaza, including sanctioned plans, completion plans, and construction details, were “preserved and available with the authority”.
According to the SCBA, the building was originally constructed in 1979, while a revised plan was approved in 1998.
“Thereafter, under the Regularisation Amendment Ordinance 2001, the project was duly regularised in 2003 in accordance with the prescribed rules and regulations,” SCBA said.
“A revised no-objection certificate (NOC) for sale and advertisement was issued in 2005, under which approval was granted for 175 shops in the basement, 355 shops on the ground floor, 188 shops on the first floor, 193 shops on the second floor, and 191 shops on the third floor, making a total of 1,102 approved shops.”
The SCBA added that the building had two staircases from the basement to the ground floor, six staircases from the ground floor to the first floor, five staircases from the second floor to the third floor, and 16 exit routes on the ground floor for emergencies.
It is worth noting that DIG Raza told Dawn that out of the 16 exits, 14 were closed at the time of the fire.
“The SBCA clarifies that it completely rejects any notion of concealing facts or disappearance of records,” the statement read, maintaining that all legal and technical records related to Gul Plaza were available with the body.
“The SBCA believes in full cooperation and transparent investigations, and a fact-based report will be presented to determine responsibility,” the statement added.
Governor Tessori meets traders
Separately, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori met with traders to discuss the tragedy’s impact on the businesses housed in Gul Plaza. He was flanked by multiple business leaders, including Jawed Bilwani, former president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).
Tessori thanked business tycoon Rafiq Pardesi, who he said called him to pledge his services for reconstructing Gul Plaza on a cost-to-cost basis, without any profit.
“We should not play the blame game. Once an incident has occurred, we must pay and compensate for it. We must bring forward those mistakes, but we all must console the traders’ community that has suffered,” the governor said.
While appreciating the Sindh government’s announcement of Rs10 million compensation for the families of the deceased, he underscored the need to take steps to prevent such incidents.
Tessori thanked the Pakistan Navy for sending their fire brigade “within 20 minutes, as well as the police for their efforts. He stressed the need to consult the president of the charred mall’s association and inquire about the management’s role.
“Those involved in such acts, the lower staff, the inspectors who take money for clearing these shops and ignoring safety measures — that money is payment for murder, not bribery,” the governor asserted, pointing out the lack of adherence to safety protocols.
Tessori said he listened to a phone call that a Baloch man made to his seven-months pregnant wife, who was inside the plaza and crying for help.
“Plazas can be reconstructed and everyone will get money. But we all should be afraid of the wails emanating from this city,” he said.
“We must learn lessons from this incident. If such a murderous plaza stands or is about to be built, we must prevent it,” he asserted. The governor noted that legislation stopping such buildings from being constructed existed but lacked implementation.
He called on the KCCI to form a committee to seek reports from the management of plazas, offices and other public spaces about potential safety hazards.
Tessori also said that he would write a joint letter with the Saylani chief to the Karachi mayor proposing that all traders from Gul Plaza be immediately moved to an abandoned parking plaza near Empress Market to return to work.
Meanwhile, Bilwani thanked Tessori and noted that he was the “first” official to reach the site.
He recalled that when the blaze erupted, he urged people to help each other instead of questioning who or what caused the fire. “Karachi’s people are at the forefront in such things [to help others].”
The businessman said he also told CM Murad that traders will prioritise helping those in need after the fire incident instead of blaming others for it.
KP CM conveys condolences to Murad Shah
Meanwhile, in a letter to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday, his Khyber Pakhtunkhwa counterpart Sohail Afridi conveyed his “heartfelt condolences” over the fire incident.
Stating that he was “deeply saddened” by the incident, the KP CM noted that the blaze “led to the loss of precious lives and caused immense distress to many families”.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief, and I sincerely hope for the swift recovery of those who were injured,” the chief minister wrote.
CM Afridi added, “I also wish to convey my sympathies to the Government of Sindh which is confronted with the difficult task of responding to the aftermath of this tragedy.
“At moments like these, the sorrow of one province is felt by the entire nation, and the people and Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stand with the people and Government of Sindh in solidarity and compassion.”
The KP CM’s letter comes after his visit to Karachi earlier this month, when he was accorded a warm welcome by the Sindh government, but the journey ended with him decrying the “treatment” meted out to him by the provincial administration.
During the visit, a meeting with CM Murad was on CM Afridi’s agenda but it did not take place, with both sides placing the fault on the other.
‘65 people remain missing’
On Monday, speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada ke Saath’, Mayor Wahab said that the tally thus far showed that 65 people were missing.
“Others are saying there are 77 missing, but I can confirm that it is 65,” Wahab said. “Of those 65, we have retrieved and identified 18 bodies. We have retrieved other bodies, but they have not been identified; we are waiting on DNA,” he said.
He said that firefighting operations had concluded, and cooling work was ongoing.
“We have been able to access three areas of the building: we can enter two areas where the structure is still standing, and one portion in the rear that collapsed,” Wahab said.
The mayor added that until last night, reports of movement were received, but when rescuers accessed those areas, there were no signs of life. He said that rescue workers had been told to be mindful of this and instructed to drill with caution.
He said that 1,200 shops were active in the plaza. “Over the years, naturally, problems emerged that need to be investigated for negligence,” Wahab said.
The provincial government has set up an inquiry committee, led by Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi, to probe the causes of the fire.
CM Murad on Monday had announced a relief, inquiry and fire-safety reform package, saying the government would support both bereaved families and affected shopkeepers.
The chief minister said the family of each deceased victim would receive Rs10 million in compensation. He also promised assistance for the shopkeepers, saying a special committee had been constituted to help those affected.