Karachi’s fire safety test

A preventable tragedy underscores how weak enforcement, fragmented accountability and routine neglect have turned Karachi’s fire safety laws into paper promises — with deadly consequences.

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The devastating blaze at Gul Plaza on MA Jinnah Road — which reportedly claimed more than 70 lives and gutted a commercial complex housing over 1,200 shops — has once again exposed a grim reality of urban governance in Karachi. Fire safety regulations may exist in policy documents and building codes, but for much of the city they remain little more than words on paper.

Each major fire in Karachi tends to follow a familiar cycle: shock, grief, public anger, promises of inquiries, and eventually a slow return to normality. What rarely follows is sustained reform. The tragedy at Gul Plaza, however, should compel authorities and stakeholders to confront a difficult truth: Karachi’s fire safety crisis is not the result of missing laws, but of weak enforcement and fragmented accountability.

Experts consulted in the aftermath of the tragedy for a report carried by this paper broadly agree that that Pakistan’s regulatory framework contains the essential elements of fire safety. The Building Code includes fire safety provisions, and internationally recognised standards such as those of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) offer clear technical guidance. Yet compliance remains patchy. Automatic sprinkler systems, adequate emergency exits, regular drills, and proper inspections — all basic elements of fire safety — are absent in a large proportion of commercial buildings.

The breakdown occurs at multiple stages. Building plans are often approved without rigorous scrutiny, inspections after construction are inconsistent, and penalties for non-compliance are minimal. Once buildings become operational, fire safety frequently ceases to be treated as an ongoing obligation. In a city experiencing rapid urban expansion and densification, this gap between rules and practice has turned routine fire incidents into mass-casualty disasters.

                                                                                                 ST file photo

Accountability is further blurred by the complex ecosystem of regulators, builders, owners, tenants, and municipal agencies involved in urban management. When disasters occur, responsibility is easily diffused. Compensation to victims’ families, while necessary, cannot substitute for systemic reform. Without addressing the structural weaknesses that enable such tragedies, relief packages risk becoming a ritual response rather than a meaningful corrective course.

At the same time, solutions are neither mysterious nor unattainable. Experts have emphasised the importance of mandatory periodic inspections, credible enforcement powers for regulatory bodies, and stronger penalties for violations. Transparent systems for monitoring compliance — including digital audits and publicly accessible records — could reduce opportunities for collusion and neglect. Equally important is the need to modernise building codes so that they reflect local economic realities while remaining aligned with global safety standards.

The challenge is not purely technical; it is institutional. Cities that have successfully reduced fire-related fatalities typically combine strong municipal enforcement with independent oversight. Karachi’s fragmented governance structure has yet to produce such a coordinated approach. Proposals for a unified fire safety authority or task force deserve careful consideration, provided they are supported by clear legal mandates, adequate resources, and insulation from political interference.

Ultimately, fire safety is not merely a regulatory requirement but a matter of public trust. Markets, factories, and office buildings are spaces where thousands of people work and trade every day with the expectation of basic protection. When those protections fail, the consequences are measured in lives lost.

The Gul Plaza tragedy should therefore be seen not as an isolated disaster but as a warning. Unless the city moves beyond reactive responses and commits to consistent enforcement and institutional accountability, Karachi risks reliving the same cycle of grief — waiting, once again, for the next fire to force the same conversation.

Editorial/Social Track, Karachi (February 27, 2026)

ST file photo (January 15, 2021): Sindh Governor Imran Ismail (inset) giving a thumbs up gesture while inspecting one of the fire-vehicles awaiting customs clearance at the Karachi Port, last week.