Five shop owners move court to include terrorism, murder charges in Gul Plaza fire case

Karachi's Gul Plaza Management Committee faced a legal challenge on Friday when five shop owners petitioned to include murder and terrorism charges in the fire case. The prosecutor, Hassan Bhatti, informed Dawn that the court issued notices for the suspects and the investigating officer to record their statements on Saturday. The shop owners had already provided statements under Section 161 of the Criminal Procedure Code, but now sought to repeat them before the magistrate.

Bhatti argued that the Gul Plaza fire was a distinct incident from the Baldia Factory fire, citing the absence of a chemical report and the lack of ransom demand. He also contended that the fire occurred unintentionally due to a teenager playing with matchsticks. The defence counsel, Shaikh Jawaid Mir, objected to the inclusion of murder and terrorism charges, arguing that the incident was not premeditated. The court adjourned the matter until October 7th to consider all arguments.