Gul Plaza Demolition Still Awaiting Contractor Eight Months After Deadly Karachi Fire
KARACHI, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Demolition of Karachi’s fire-ravaged Gul Plaza has still not begun more than eight months after the deadly January blaze, with authorities yet to finalise a contractor despite the commercial building having been declared dangerous and unfit for use.
The delay has prolonged uncertainty for affected traders and families awaiting reconstruction of the major commercial complex on MA Jinnah Road.
The Sindh Building Control Authority and its Technical Committee on Dangerous Buildings declared the fire-damaged structure unsafe and unfit for use on January 22, recommending demolition following completion of rescue operations.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah later formally directed authorities on April 1 to demolish the damaged structure and prepare a reconstruction plan, saying work should begin as soon as possible.
Five months after that instruction, however, physical demolition has yet to start.
Contractor Still Not Finalised
Senior SBCA officials told The Express Tribune that a contractor for the demolition has not yet been finalised.
An advertisement inviting bids for the work is expected to be issued within days, after which a contractor would be selected, according to an official quoted by the newspaper.
Sources said four pre-qualified demolition companies were already registered with the SBCA for such work.
The report also carries allegations from unnamed sources that disagreements over contractor selection have contributed to the delay. They alleged that some SBCA officials were seeking to award the work to a preferred private contractor, resulting in repeated meetings without a final decision.
Those allegations should be treated carefully: The Express Tribune report does not establish them as proven misconduct, and no finding confirming improper procurement activity was identified in the material reviewed.
Formal Demolition Notification Still Pending
Another unresolved step is the formal notification authorising demolition.
The Tribune reports that although orders to demolish the unsafe building were issued, the formal demolition notification has not yet been released.
Sources said a previous SBCA director general had selected a contractor, but the notification could not be issued while related matters were pending before the courts.
They further said a court subsequently ordered registration of an FIR and that relevant legal requirements were completed, but the demolition notification remained pending.
The precise legal proceedings referred to in these source-based claims are not fully detailed in the report, so they should not be expanded beyond what has been documented.
Structure Declared Dangerous in January
The decision that Gul Plaza could no longer safely remain in use came within days of the devastating January fire.
A technical committee involving the SBCA and Pakistan Engineering Council inspected the site and concluded on January 22 that the structure was hazardous, recommending demolition after rescue operations ended.
The assessment was significant because a large part of the shopping centre had already suffered severe fire and structural damage.
The plaza covers approximately 8,124 square yards, and official assessments cited at the time listed 1,102 shops within the structure.
Earlier records and reporting had cited higher shop counts, reflecting discrepancies between approved plans and the number of commercial units operating at the site.
CM Ordered Demolition in April
On April 1, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah ordered the damaged structure demolished to clear the way for reconstruction.
He directed the SBCA director general to submit a detailed reconstruction plan and said work on the plaza should begin at the earliest.
The chief minister also instructed the Karachi commissioner to inform the judicial commission investigating the fire before demolition began, ensuring that the inquiry process was taken into account before the damaged structure was removed.
The provincial government had earlier promised to reconstruct Gul Plaza and return shops to affected traders.
In January, Shah told the Sindh Assembly that the damaged complex would be demolished and rebuilt within approximately two years, while temporary shops would be arranged for affected traders.
The current delay means that the physical demolition — a prerequisite for reconstruction — has not yet started.
Fire Exposed Serious Building-Safety Questions
The January 17 blaze became one of Karachi’s most serious recent fire disasters and renewed scrutiny of building regulation, emergency exits, firefighting capacity and enforcement of safety standards.
SBCA records obtained after the incident showed that the number of shops constructed in Gul Plaza exceeded those included in the original approved plan. Some commercial units had reportedly been built in corridors and designated exit routes, potentially complicating evacuation.
In March, the SBCA acknowledged before the judicial commission that Gul Plaza had been constructed in violation of its approved building plan, while arguing that a revised plan had later been regularised under an amnesty scheme in 2001-02.
The authority denied that regulatory failures on its part had contributed to the January fire.
Separately, a Sindh government implementation committee later recommended disciplinary and legal action against SBCA officials who served between 2020 and the date of the fire over alleged inspection, enforcement and regulatory failures. Those recommendations are not equivalent to findings of criminal guilt.
Judicial Commission Findings Face Political Criticism
The demolition delay has resurfaced as the findings of the judicial commission investigating the Gul Plaza tragedy face criticism from opposition members in Karachi’s City Council.
On September 1, Jamaat-i-Islami opposition leader Saifuddin rejected the commission’s findings as incomplete, arguing that while failures by several government institutions were identified, individual responsibility had not been sufficiently fixed.
He demanded further action against officials he considered responsible and called for Mayor Murtaza Wahab’s removal.
Those are political demands by the City Council opposition, not findings by a court or proof of individual criminal liability.
Reconstruction Could Take Nearly Two Years
Sources cited by The Express Tribune estimate that demolition followed by reconstruction could take nearly two years.
That timeframe is broadly consistent with the two-year reconstruction period previously outlined by the Sindh chief minister, although it should be treated as an estimate rather than a guaranteed completion date.
Any reconstruction schedule will depend on several stages still ahead, including contractor appointment, formal demolition authorisation, safe removal of the damaged structure, regulatory approvals and construction of the replacement complex.
For traders who lost businesses in the fire, the failure to begin demolition means the first major physical stage of rebuilding remains pending.
The central development as of September 1 is therefore clear: Gul Plaza has been officially regarded as structurally unsafe since January and its demolition was ordered months ago, but the SBCA has yet to finalise a contractor and issue the formal demolition notification required to move the process forward.
