Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori has strongly criticized the government over the Gul Plaza tragedy and demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident.
According to reports, the death toll from the fire at Gul Plaza has risen to 60, while dozens of people are still missing. Sources said that families of the missing persons have strongly criticized the slow rescue operation at the three-storey Gul Plaza, where rescue workers are continuing to search for human remains in the debris.
Addressing a press conference on the Gul Plaza tragedy, the Sindh Governor said that he would write letters to the Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court and the Chief Justice of Pakistan, requesting a judicial investigation into the incident. He also expressed regret that many children have already lost their lives after falling into open manholes.
A government committee has begun its investigation, however, the cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Kamran Tessori said that even a week after the tragedy, political point-scoring was still taking place. He stressed that no conspiracy to shift blame would be allowed to succeed and that those responsible must be identified and given strict punishment.
He further said that Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah should personally investigate why the machinery was not functioning properly. He questioned why the son of a person who died in the incident was subjected to baton-charging, while mothers were being forced to beg for justice.
The Sindh Governor stated that the public cannot be expected to pay taxes and also sacrifice their lives. He warned that if anyone tried to politicize the tragedy, he would expose all the facts. He added that the administration had shown criminal negligence and that he would not allow it to be covered up.
He also said that he would ask Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir to visit, stating that Karachi is waiting for him so that he may personally see who is responsible for the injustice.
