A shopkeeper witness in the Gul Plaza fire case has testified before the court that 12 of the 13 gates at the Gul Plaza shopping center were locked when he arrived during the deadly fire, alleging that blocked exits and a lack of emergency alerts left people struggling to escape.
Shopkeeper Arif recorded his statement before the city court. He told the court that he reached the shopping center at around 12:00, when flames were already visible at 13 gates on the ground floor.
He said the fire engulfed the entire building within half an hour. The witness also recalled seeing a person clinging to a window on the mezzanine floor who, he said, had already died.
The witness, Arif, said the circumstances led him to suspect that the fire had been started as part of a planned act.
Arif told the court that, according to the findings of an inquiry, Gul Plaza Market Committee President Tanveer Pasta had not informed the fire brigade about the blaze.
He also alleged that although the building had a public-address speaker system, no announcement was made to alert people.
Referring to videos of the incident, he said people could be seen searching for a way out while escape routes remained blocked and the lights had been switched off.
He further alleged that access to the roof from the second floor had been sealed by Tanveer Pasta.
According to the witness, an office had been set up by Pasta in the rooftop area, with scrap material placed at its entrance.
Arif told the court that 21 shops on the mezzanine floor had been destroyed in a separate fire in 2016, including his own office.
He alleged that fire-fighting equipment and fire alarms had not been installed at Gul Plaza despite the risks.
The witness also raised questions about the management of the shopping center’s maintenance funds.
He said approximately Rs.10 million was collected each month in maintenance charges from the building’s five floors.
He added that revenue from billboards, mobile phone towers and parking contracts was collected separately.
Witness Arif said shop owners had repeatedly called for an audit of the funds, but no audit had been conducted.
The witness told the court that all shop owners affected by the fire had been left unemployed.
He said the Sindh government had distributed approximately Rs.8 billion in assistance through the Chamber of Commerce. However, he alleged that the affected shop owners who testified in the case had received no share of the funds.
According to Arif, the assistance application form included a section requiring verification by Tanveer Pasta.
He said shop owners suspected that incorrect verification may have been used to misappropriate millions of rupees.