(Publish from Houston Texas USA)
(By: Amir Muhammad Khan)
Karachi has been undergoing open heart surgery for the past seventeen years, with potholes, rotten walls, old, dilapidated buildings that have neither any planning nor any precautionary measures been used in the construction of buildings before the building control authorities. Unfortunately, no precious life will be saved if some part of a building or the entire building collapses.
For years, buildings have been collapsing, and people are washing their hands of the lives of their loved ones. People’s lives are lost, businesses are burned, then the Sindh Building Authority steps in, the Chief Minister seeks a report, tears are shed over shortcomings, ten days of noise, another building is set on fire, the tragedy of a building collapse occurs, the relevant institutions prepare reports while enjoying themselves at the government’s expense, but what happens to it, only expressions of regret from the people in power, never punishment to the responsible, nor questions and answers from the negligent.
Expressions of regret, notices, and relief measures at the government level are in place, but the real question is why such tragedies occur again and again? The recent incident of Gul Plaza, about which it is being said that so far there are reports of 26 lives lost, and who knows how many are still buried alive in this rubble, may Allah Almighty grant someone life. The incident of Gul Plaza is not limited to any one building or only Karachi. Such incidents have also occurred repeatedly in big cities like Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Quetta, and Multan. Some markets catch fire, some factories burn, and some residential buildings suffer accidents.
Every time there are a few days of noise, announcements of investigations, and then the matter is buried in the dust of time. The basic problem remains the same: poor planning, blatant violation of SOPs, absence of fire safety arrangements, and weak supervision by relevant institutions. Ignoring safety rules during the construction of buildings, lack of fire exits, unavailability of water and fire-fighting systems, and the indifference of responsible institutions are factors that can cause a major tragedy at any moment. This risk is further increased in densely populated urban areas, where it is difficult to control fires in time and the risk of loss of life is much higher. These are not just accidents but a clear sign of administrative failure.
The Sindh Chief Minister once said that if evidence of sabotage is found in the inquiry, action will be taken on it. The main focus of the inquiry will be on correcting our mistakes. If necessary, a judicial commission will also be formed for the inquiry. The problem is that sabotage is what happens. In my opinion, not solving the issues and not paying attention to our responsibilities are the reasons why precious lives are lost. Property worth crores is a separate issue.
I don’t know how many years of hard work the builders of buildings accumulate capital and start businesses, buy flats and either sit on the streets empty-handed or sit on the streets empty-handed. No government realizes that its life’s capital has been reduced to zero due to these incompetent and corrupt institutions. Who is responsible for this? The Chief Minister has ordered that steps will be taken to compensate the losses of the shopkeepers in Gul Plaza (maybe this has happened before, but it will happen now). He also said that when such incidents happen, everyone starts giving their expert opinion. In such incidents, let the person do his job; do not make it difficult for him to access.
The Chief Minister said that the problem arises only when the person who is responsible has not fulfilled their responsibilities. To hide the dishonesty of the relevant institutions, he also told those who suffered losses in harsh language that the shopkeepers also have a responsibility, but at this time, these things are not right. We should all look into our own pockets. I am accountable to the people. This is a complete lack of interest in matters. Murad Ali Shah announced to give Rs 10 million to the families of those who died in the Gul Plaza tragedy. The Chief Minister has opened the mouth of Qarun’s treasury. He has said that the government will pay Rs 10 million to the victims (perhaps the dead will come back to life with this).
The Chief Minister of Sindh said that a fire audit of 145 buildings was conducted in 2024. Work immediately on what was in the Fire Safety Audit 2024; it is true that there are safety issues in many buildings in Karachi. He did not say why, despite these issues, the residents of these buildings were not made aware of this. He said that in many places, the fault is not only the government’s; the shopkeepers are also responsible. The shopkeepers are currently in trouble. I do not want to blame them. The institutions that consider themselves above accountability should also look into their own pockets.
He said that the situation demands that chaos should be avoided. I will not name anyone and say what they should have done. I will just say that it is my fault. Such incidents happen all over the world, we have to work for our own betterment. The Sindh Chief Minister said Let’s talk about extinguishing the fire, don’t talk about starting more fires. I have no competition with the Leader of the Opposition, that’s their job, I must be accountable to them. The world knows who is actually fake.
As always, All institutions, courts, government officials have all made the same outdated recorded statements, if a similar accident has happened in the past during the time of someone else’s government or the municipality that made the arrangements, then they are wasting time on criticizing past accidents while covering up their criminal negligence in the Gul Plaza tragedy and the statements are the same as always that “this will happen now, this will happen now, institutions should take care etc. etc. That is, those meaningless statements are then forgotten tomorrow and waiting for the next accident (God willing). In fact, the well-known principles of safety principles that every country takes to save its property and human lives are not there in our country are just rhetoric. About 80% of the buildings in Karachi do not have basic fire safety systems (such as sprinklers, fire alarms, emergency exits).
Due to lack of fire brigade and old machinery, large areas of the city, industrial zones, and residential areas often arrive late due to low availability of fire tenders. Many buildings are built without legal permits or with substandard materials. Constructions are carried out, which increases the risk of fire spreading. Industrial areas are often close to residential areas, which turns even small incidents into major accidents.
There are fire safety laws in Pakistan, such as: having fire alarms and emergency exits in every building, regular fire drills in factories and shopping malls, but all this is nowhere in practice in papers and files. Inspections are carried out, but for a large sum of money, according to Riaz Malik, the files are put on wheels. The building is unsafe but it is safe in the files. Fire extinguishers or water tanks are often not available for initial control of a fire. The responsible parties are also right to say that the resources and budget are not adequate for this work and protecting human lives.
If Jai Bhutto and others are kind enough, the number of existing fire stations should be increased, especially in industrial zones and densely populated areas. Modern fire tenders, emergency vehicles, and special equipment such as high-pressure water pumps, rescue cranes, etc. should be kept in every station.
In every new and existing building Fire alarms, sprinklers, emergency exits and fire extinguishers should be made mandatory. The funds allocated for fire safety and rescue are often subject to reports of corruption or ineffective use. As a result, new fire stations or modern equipment are not provided.
