Karachi | Pakistan

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar on Tuesday urged PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to seek resignations from the Sindh chief minister and the Karachi mayor. A war of words has been ongoing between MQM-P and PPP leaders in the wake of the Gul Plaza inferno, with lawmakers associated with the former party demanding that Karachi be handed over to the Centre. Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Sattar termed Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Senior Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab — who he said were close to Bilawal — as his “three naive friends”. “What if a drop scene happens? They are making you sink in a swamp. So we, Karachi’s people, those living in Sindh’s cities, are demanding from you that all three resign,” Sattar said, referring to CM Murad, Memon and Wahab. He remarked that the three leaders had added an enormous “burden” to the PPP’s “ship that could sink it”. “Reduce this burden,” he said, urging Bilawal to demand the r...

Jamaat-i-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Tuesday stressed the formation of a “city government” as the only solution to Karachi’s administrative and governance issues. The remarks come against the backdrop of the Gul Plaza inferno, which has resulted in lawmakers stressing the need to empower local governments (LGs) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) even demanding that Karachi be made a “federal territory”. “The solution to Karachi’s issues is not provincial or federal control. According to the Constitution, the solution is Karachi city government,” the JI chief said while addressing a press conference in the metropolis. Rehman made the case for better local governance by citing Istanbul as an example: “Istanbul’s local governance has its master plan, fire brigade, construction, transportation, water, sewage, education and employment under its jurisdiction.” “This is real governance, not KDA (Karachi Development Authority) or SBCA (Sindh Building Control Authority),” he said, adding that “...

KARACHI: The Karachi police on Monday constituted a special team to make “all-out efforts” to arrest suspects in the Gul Plaza fire and to conduct an impartial probe into the incident. An order issued by the office of South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza stated that the five-member team was constituted for the “arrest of involved accused person(s) and impartial investigation” into the case. “The investigation team shall make all-out and diligent efforts to arrest the accused person(s) by utilising all available resources,” read the notification, a copy of which is available with Dawn. In a first information report (FIR) of the incident, dated January 23, the Karachi police said the fire was an “outcome of negligence and carelessness”. The case was registered against unknown persons as the police have not nominated anyone in the case. The special team will comprise the Garden Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), the Kharadar investigation deputy superintendent of police (DSP), the head of the G...

Karachi is expected to have moderate weather during Ramazan with temperatures around 30°C, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said.

KARACHI: The number of lives lost in the tragic Gul Plaza fire rose yet again on Sunday as two more bodies were recovered from the rubble, taking the death toll to 73. Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed confirmed to Dawn that the death toll has increased to 73. She added that so far, 23 deceased individuals have been identified, including 16 through DNA matching, six through facial identification and one because of their CNIC. Dr Syed stated that all DNA tests were being conducted at the Sindh Forensic DNA and Serology Lab at the University of Karachi. She shared a list of those identified so far: Kashif, son of Younus Aamir, son of Sulaiman Faraz, son of Anas Farooq, son of Anwar Furqan, son of Shoukat Mohammad Ali, son of Haji Habib Tanveer, son of Abdul Kaleem Mohammad Sharoz, son of Muhammad Iqbal Mohammad Athar, son of Shoukat Ali Sarfaraz, son of Noor Muhammad Mohammad Hanif, son of Abdul Ghani Misbah, daughter of Irfan Kausar Parveen, wife of Irfan Mohammad Saad, son of Muhammad Irfan Mohammad Ramzan, son...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Saturday said temperatures in Karachi could fall to single digits over the weekend, adding that the city’s weather was likely to remain cold and dry with occasional winds. The city saw its second spell of winter showers on Thursday afternoon under the influence of a westerly wave that brought about light to moderate rainfall in several areas. Strong winds blew through the city after the rains, making the weather chillier. In a weather forecast, the PMD predicted a minimum temperature of 8.5 degrees Celsius on Saturday, while it is expected to drop further between 7°C and 9°C on Sunday. On Monday night, the minimum temperature is forecasted to rise slightly to 8-10°C. Meanwhile, the maximum temperature is expected to remain between 19-21°C on Saturday and Sunday, rising further to between 20°C and 22°C on Monday. Partial screengrab of the PMD weather forecast issued on Jan 24, 2026. According to the Met Office, the humidity levels are predicted to remain between ...

The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has launched an emergency survey of buildings across Karachi and issued notices to more than 100 structures following the deadly fire at Gul Plaza shopping mall that left several people dead and many still untraced.

KARACHI: Seven people were rescued while a search operation was underway to find four others missing after a merchant vessel hit a fishing boat off Manora Beach on Friday morning. South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that seven people had been rescued, with four still missing, in the incident. In a statement, an Edhi Foundation spokesperson said that their divers had continued the search operation during the day but it had to be halted once night fell. He said the resuce operation would resume on Saturday morning. DIG Raza detailed that the incident took place in a channel of the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) at about 2am, when a civil fishing boat named Al-Shahbaz was hit by merchant vessel Kang Huan. “All fishermen on the boat jumped into the sea, and the fishing boat toppled down,” the police officer added. Subsequently, rescue operations were initiated by HPO, the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency and the KPT. “Seven persons were rescued by another fishing boat,” DIG Raza said, adding ...

KARACHI: The death toll of Karachi’s Gul Plaza blaze crossed 70 on Friday as rescuers found more remains from the rubble of the gutted shopping centre. Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed issued an updated list of 71 deceased. Of the 16 identified so far, nine were identified through DNA tests, which have been performed for 49 samples. The deadly inferno, which erupted on the night of January 17 at the mall and took nearly two days to be fully extinguished, has left the ground-plus-three-storey building in ruins, with some sections collapsed. As more bodies were recovered from different parts of the building, officials cautioned that the final toll can only be determined once the identification of the remains is completed. Meanwhile, officials expressed the hope to complete their search efforts on Friday. South Deputy Commissioner (DC) Javed Nabi Khoso told reporters that the search operation was in the “final stages”. “The search in the wreckage will be completed today,” he said. Stating that a total of 77 missi...

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Friday approved a comprehensive package worth Rs21.53 billion, including a Rs13bn grant-in-aid for rehabilitating and improving Town Municipal Corporations’ (TMCs) road infrastructure in Karachi. According to a press release by the CM’s office, the initiative aims to ease traffic congestion, improve public safety, and boost economic activity in the provincial capital. The meeting, held at CM House, was attended by Local Government Minister Nasir Shah, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi, Finance Secretary Fayaz Jatoi, Secretary to the CM Raheem Shaikh, and other relevant officers. Nasir informed the chief minister that 24 TMCs across Karachi had requested funding to repair severely dilapidated roads and streets. Due to financial constraints, these TMCs were unable to carry out the works independently. Wahab reported that 409 roads across seven districts of Karachi needed rehabilitation, including 400 re...

KARACHI - Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leader and Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal on Thursday demanded that Karachi be declared a federal territory under Articles 148 and 149 of the Constitution, saying it is necessary “for the sake of Pakistan”.

KARACHI: The death toll of the deadly fire at Karachi’s Gul Plaza reached 67 on Thursday as rescuers continued to comb through the wreckage of the gutted building. Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed issued a list of 67 individuals, only seven of which had been identified. Earlier in the day, she had issued a list confirming the deaths of 50 people. A separate statement issued by the Sindh health department spokesperson also said that the post-mortem examination of 67 bodies had been conducted. The updated death toll comes a day after officials found the bodies of 30 people from a single shop on the mezzanine floor. The plaza, parts of which have collapsed due to the blaze, was a ground-plus-three-storey building with 1,200 shops spread over 8,000 square yards. Rescue 1122 spokesperson Hassaanul Haseeb Khan told Dawn that urban search and rescue teams were conducting a search operation with the help of a thermal imaging camera (TIC). “Urban search and rescue teams are working at the incident site and using specia...

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Mustafa Kamal on Thursday called on the federal government to declare Karachi a federal territory by making it the country’s “financial capital”. The remarks come against the backdrop of the Gul Plaza inferno in the metropolis, which has resulted in lawmakers stressing the need for reforms in the city’s administration, particularly in local governments (LGs). Kamal, addressing a press conference today, called on the federal government to “invoke Article 148 and 149 of the Constitution, and declare Karachi as the financial capital of the country”. Article 148 of the Constitution pertains to the obligation of provinces and the federation, while Article 149 allows the federal government to issue directives to provinces in certain cases. Article 149 enables the federal government to direct provincial governments regarding the “manner in which the executive authority thereof is to be exercised for the purpose of preventing any grave menace to the peace or tranquilli...

KARACHI: Parts of Karachi received rain on Thursday under the influence of a westerly wave, which the Met Office said was expected to lead to a dip in temperatures till Saturday. Reports of rain were received from Surjani, North Karachi, Scheme 33, Super Highway, Defence Housing Authority, Sohrab Goth, Clifton, Sharea Faisal and Gulistan-i-Jauhar. Data from the Met Office showed that the highest amount of rainfall in Karachi fell in Surjani Town, with 26.3 millimetres (mm) of rain recorded as of 5pm. The lowest readings were in Kemari and the old airport area, with trace amounts of rainfall, while Orangi Town, Quaidabad, Saddar and Bin Qasim saw no rain at all. In other parts of Sindh, Jacobabad and Sukkur experienced the most rainfall, with each recording 10mm of rain. The least fell in Shaheed Benazirabad and Sakrand, with both recording 1mm each. Karachi only received trace amounts of rainfall, according to the data. Meanwhile, an alert by the traffic police at 3:49pm said Hub River Road had been closed fo...

Rain accompanied by gusty winds swept across several parts of Karachi, leading to a sharp drop in temperatures and a chilly atmosphere across the city.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader and Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal on Tuesday called for Karachi to be placed under the control of the federal government, saying the provincial administration has failed to govern the city effectively.

KARACHI: In a harrowing development, at least 30 bodies were recovered from a gutted shop as rescuers combed through the wreckage of Karachi’s Gul Plaza on Wednesday. Karachi South Deputy Inspector General Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the remains of 30 humans had been recovered from a shop called “Dubai Crockery” located on the mezzanine floor. He said that earlier in the day, rescue workers had recovered three more bodies, which had taken the toll from 28 to 31. He added that with the discovery of the bodies from the gutted shop, the death toll was estimated to have risen to 61. However, he cautioned that a final conclusion about the death toll could only be reached after receiving the DNA reports. He said that the relatives of those missing as well as the shopkeepers had previously indicated the possibility of there being a large number of people at the shop. Raza said that as per the last contact with the victims, they had believed they would be safe and the fire would be controlled but had suffocated to ...

Gul Plaza only announced its importance after it was gone. As I’m writing this, I realise that the lamp on my bedside table is from there. So is the wall clock ticking opposite me, the plant sitting just within my line of sight, the bedsheet folded at the foot of my bed, and the ceramic tray holding loose change on my desk. I hadn’t noticed how much of my living space traces back to that same address in Karachi’s historic centre — until it burned. Each object carries its own small origin story: a practical purchase the first time we moved houses, an impulsive buy after a long walk through crowded aisles, or something my mother spotted on her trips there, sent to me on WhatsApp, and I approved from afar. At the time, none of it felt consequential. These were low-stakes decisions made between bargaining and staircases, between “let’s check one more shop” and “we’ll just take this one.” Everything we ever bought from Gul Plaza (and there is a lot) will eventually break, fade, or quietly disappear into storage. O...

ISLAMABAD - Expressing serious concerns over massive and deadly fire in Karachi’s Gul Plaza, the lawmakers from MQM-P and Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif in Tuesday’s National Assembly called for empowering the local government system to tackle emergencies and disasters.

KARACHI: A committee formed by the Sindh government to investigate the circumstances that led to the devastating fire at the Gul Plaza shopping mall initiated its probe on Tuesday as the death toll reached 28. The Sindh chief secretary had formed the body on Monday, comprising Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi and the Karachi additional inspector general, directing that a report be submitted within seven days. Sources told Dawn that the committee held its first meeting on Tuesday, led by the Karachi commissioner. They said the committee called officials from the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Fire Brigade, Rescue 1122 and the owner of the mall and sought details from them. Meanwhile, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said that based on the KMC’s audit of various buildings, the SBCA had started to “take action”. “A letter with a list of non-compliant buildings has been sent to the Association of Builders and Developers (Abad),” he said on X. The SBCA letter a...