In letter to SHC CJ Sindh, Governor seeks constitution of judicial commission for Gul Plaza inferno

KARACHI: Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, in a letter to the Chief Justice of Sindh High Court Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput, has sought the formation of a judicial inquiry commission in connection with the Gul Plaza fire tragedy in Karachi, it was revealed on Thursday.

This comes as opposition parties have been demanding the formation of an inquiry commission in the wake of initial findings, which indicated that the fire was accidentally triggered by the minor son of the owner of a flower shop.

Jamaat-i-Islami has also questioned the authenticity of the inquiry and demanded an independent judicial commission.

The tragic incident, which broke out on the night of January 17 at the mall and took nearly two days to control, has claimed at least 73 lives and destroyed over 1,100 shops.

In his letter, dated January 27 and available with Dawn, the Muttahida Qaumi Move­ment-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader has requested the SHC CJ to form a judicial inquiry commission to “investigate the Gul Plaza fire incident and to dig out the root cause, negligence facts or violations of law that may have led to this unfortunate occurrence”.

He pointed out that the incident had “resulted in irreparable loss of precious human lives and caused grave concern among the public at large”.

“Given the gravity of the incident and the widespread public concern, there is a compelling need for a transparent, independent, and credible inquiry to ascertain the causes, regulatory lapses, and any responsibility on the part of individuals or institutions,” Governor Tessori said.

He added that the inquiry would “contribute towards preventing similar tragedies in future in the larger public interest”.

In his letter, the governor said that he was “confident that an inquiry conducted under the esteemed guidance of the judiciary will help restore public confidence and ensure that justice is served in accordance with law.”