Court allows five shop owners to testify in Karachi's Gul Plaza inferno case

Karachi's Gul Plaza inferno case saw a recent development as a judicial magistrate granted permission for five shop owners to provide their testimonies in court. The shop owners sought to give their "true and voluntary statements" under Section 164 of the CrPC to recount the incident without any "fear, pressure, or undue influence". Their counsel, Muhammad Qayyum Qadri, argued that the suspects and 15 to 20 others were present during their initial police-recorded statements.

Hassan Bhatti, the state prosecutor, supported the plea, stating that there was no harm in recording the shop owners' statements, as the trial hadn't commenced yet and the court retained its competence to do so. However, defense counsel Shaikh Jawaid Mir, representing the Gul Plaza Management Committee, objected, claiming that the statements had already been recorded by the police and that the request would only burden the court unnecessarily, with no apparent benefit.

After considering all arguments, the magistrate allowed the plea and ordered that the shop owners' statements be recorded on the same day. The court noted that the final charge sheet was submitted and awaiting a final order. The matter was reported in Dawn on October 7th, 2026.