- All nominated suspects declared absconders by Karachi police.
- Closed gates prevented people from escaping, finds report.
- Union president called K-Electric to cut power amid fire.
KARACHI: Police have submitted their investigative report and challan to the prosecution in the Gul Plaza fire case, declaring the devastating blaze that claimed 72 lives as accidental, the investigative report confirmed.
According to the investigative report — a copy of which is available with Geo News, the Punjab Forensic Laboratory found no trace of explosive material at the site, ruling out any possibility of sabotage.
Meanwhile, the police nominated six suspects including a shopkeeper and his 11-year-old son for negligence and dereliction of duty. All nominated suspects have been declared absconders.
Sources said the judicial commission’s report on Gul Plaza has not been made part of the challan.
Police have nominated shopkeeper Naimatullah and his 11-year-old son Huzaifa, Gul Plaza Committee President Tanveer Pasta, Vice President Ammar Ismail, General Secretary Mohammad Amin and Joint Secretary Mohammad Ramzan as accused in the case.
The report further stated that the fire resulted in the deaths of 72 people. The remains of four victims have still not been claimed by anyone. During the investigation, statements of four eyewitnesses were recorded under Section 164, and their accounts formed part of the evidence compiled in the report.
The report traced the origin of the fire to shop number 193, owned by a shopkeeper identified as Naimatullah. Investigators found that Naimatullah frequently left his shop in the charge of his 11-year-old son, Huzaifa.
The fire broke out when Huzaifa allegedly lit matchsticks and threw them, igniting artificial flowers kept in the shop. Both Naimatullah and Huzaifa have been found guilty of negligence and carelessness, the report said.
The investigative report places significant blame on the Gul Plaza market union for multiple failures that worsened the tragedy. The report found that the union failed to alert emergency services or seek help after the fire broke out.
It also found that the main gates of Gul Plaza were completely shut and the union did not open them in time, making it extremely difficult for people trapped inside to escape. The closure of the gates was declared an act of gross negligence on the part of the administration.
Additionally, union president Tanveer Pasta called K-Electric and had the electricity supply cut off during the fire, which plunged the building into darkness and further trapped people inside who could not find their way out.
The report also held the market union responsible for failing to prevent a minor child from working at a shop, terming it a serious lapse in oversight.
