Gul Plaza tragedy: Judicial Commission records statements of victims' families

KARACHI (Dunya News) - A meeting of the judicial commission, formed to probe the Gul Plaza tragedy, was held on Monday during which the families of those who lost their loved one in the incident recorded their statements.

The judicial commission, established to investigate the Gul Plaza tragedy, met at the office of the Deputy Commissioner South under the chairmanship of Justice Agha Faisal. The families of the 33 people who died in the incident recorded their statements before the commission.

While speaking to the families, Justice Agha Faisal expressed deep sorrow over the deaths and said that the purpose of the tribunal is to prevent such incidents and loss of life in the future.

He stated that financial losses can be compensated, but there is no substitute for human life. He added that to uncover all the facts, information will be obtained from the public, the government, rescue institutions, and all relevant authorities.

The victims’ families expressed serious concerns about the rescue operation and the performance of government institutions. They cited water shortages, limited capacity of the fire brigade, obstacles in access routes, and locked windows as major causes of the loss of life.

The families also complained about the attitude of the district administration and demanded the provision of a one-window facility. They maintained that although the building had an emergency announcement system, timely announcements were not made. If effective measures had been taken within the first 30 minutes, more people could have been evacuated safely.