Court reserves order on Gul Plaza fire charge sheet

Karachi, Pakistan - A court has put off its decision until September 18 on whether to accept or reject the charge sheet submitted in the Gul Plaza fire case. During Wednesday's hearing, defence lawyer Shaikh Jawaid Mir raised questions about the investigation officer's report, which accused the government departments of being given a clean bill of health, while the building's management took most of the blame for criminal negligence.

The lawyer contended that the newly appointed investigator had not followed court orders and that he had previously submitted an application for a joint investigation team, naming senior police officials. In response, the state prosecutor said that the building's management president, Tanveer Pasta, was guilty of "criminal negligence" for not contacting the fire brigade or rescue services.

Instead, he had called the electric company to cut off electricity. After weighing the arguments, the court set September 18 for deciding on the charge sheet, accepting or rejecting it, or designating any other suspect in the case. The newly appointed investigator in the Gul Plaza fire case has charged four members of the Gul Plaza Management Committee, Naimatullah, the owner of an artificial flower shop, and his underage son Huzaifa.

The investigation report listed 87 prosecution witnesses, and the prosecutor argued that criminal negligence was proven against the charged individuals, citing Section 285 of the Pakistan Penal Code.