Gul Plaza Fire: Child Faces Trial Over Karachi Blaze That Killed 72
Charge sheet names six suspects, including an 11-year-old boy, over the deadly Gul Plaza fire that destroyed more than 1,100 shops.
Gul Plaza fire investigation names six suspects in deadly Karachi blaze.
Gul Plaza Fire investigators have submitted a charge sheet naming an 11-year-old boy among six suspects over the devastating blaze that killed 72 people and destroyed 1,153 shops in Karachi earlier this year.
The charge sheet, filed by the investigating officer through District Prosecutor Abdul Razzaq Gujjar, states that the juvenile suspect will face proceedings before a juvenile court because he was a minor at the time of the Jan. 17 incident. Prosecutors confirmed that the report of the judicial commission may be submitted at a later stage.
According to investigators, the fire claimed 72 lives, injured eight people and caused extensive damage to the shopping centre. The charge sheet names the boy, Huzaifa; his father, Naimatullah, who owned an artificial flower shop; and Gul Plaza Management Committee members Tanveer Pasta, Amar Ismail, Muhammad Ramazan and Muhammad Ameen as accused. Authorities have listed all six as absconders and identified 42 prosecution witnesses.
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Witness statements recorded before a judicial magistrate allege that the boy was playing with matchsticks inside the shop when the fire broke out. One witness, 13-year-old Aryan, told investigators he was present at the shop during the incident. Two other eyewitnesses, Mohammad Talha and Hamza Amir, also stated that the boy’s father regularly left the shop under his son’s supervision.
Investigators said call data records showed that Naimatullah was not present at the shop when the fire started. The charge sheet alleges that the management committee failed to stop the underage boy from operating the shop alone despite the apparent safety risks.
The investigation also identified serious fire safety failures inside the building. Authorities said exit routes were locked or blocked, fire extinguishers and other firefighting equipment were inadequate, no fire hydrant system was installed and emergency backup lighting was unavailable after electricity was cut during the blaze.
The charge sheet further alleges that call data records show the management committee members did not contact the fire brigade or emergency rescue services, describing their response as negligent.
The adult suspects face charges under Sections 285, 322, 337-H, 436 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, including negligent handling of fire, manslaughter, causing injury through negligence, mischief by fire and acting with common intention.
The investigating officer had previously attempted to submit the charge sheet three times. Prosecutors returned it on each occasion, citing procedural shortcomings, including the absence of findings from the judicial commission and the joint investigation team, as well as the omission of officials from relevant regulatory departments. Despite those objections, the prosecution later authorised the filing of the charge sheet while allowing the remaining reports to be submitted separately.
