Sindh govt notifies judicial commission to probe Gul Plaza inferno

The Sindh government on Tuesday issued a formal notification setting up a one-member judicial commission to conduct a detailed inquiry into the deadly fire at Gul Plaza and related matters.

Although Justice Agha Faisal, nominated by the Sindh High Court, was appointed to head the commission earlier on February 4, the notification was officially published in the Sindh government’s Gazette on Tuesday.

According to the notification, the Commission of Inquiry has been directed to complete its investigation within eight weeks. It also stated that the office of Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi will provide secretarial and administrative support to the commission.

The provincial government decided to order a judicial probe after the devastating fire at Gul Plaza, which claimed at least 73 lives, took almost two days to bring under control, and destroyed more than 1,100 shops.

The decision followed a review by a cabinet subcommittee of the PPP-led Sindh government, which examined a report prepared by a two-member team. After discussing the circumstances of the incident, the subcommittee concluded that an independent judicial inquiry was necessary to determine the causes and fix responsibility.