January 23, 2026
By Shaukat Korai
KARACHI
Qaisar Khan is waiting outside Gul Plaza for the recovery of the bodies of his loved ones. In one swipe three members of his family lost their lives in the fire this week.
“My son was married just four months ago,” he say amid tears. “My wife, sister, and sister-in-law went to Gul Plaza for shopping. When they didn’t return late at night, I became worried. I kept calling their phones, but there was no answer. When it struck midnight, I grew anxious and nervous, and then everything collapsed on me after I heard the news of a fire at Gul Plaza.”
Qaisar, a resident of Baldia Town, has still not received the bodies of his wife, sister and sister-in-law. Since six days he has been coming to stand outside Gul Plaza. He says he is now certain that they are no longer alive, but is waiting he could at least get their bodies, he could perform their last rites.
On Thursday, the death toll from the Gul Plaza fire tragedy reached 67 as six more bodies were recovered from the debris during the sixth day of the ongoing search operation. According to DIG South Syed Asad Raza, only 15 out of 67 bodies have been identified, while the remaining families continue to wait for the identified remains of their loved ones.
Qaisar’s sons are there too, searching for their mother and aunts at Gul Plaza until seven in the morning but have found no trace.
“By now we are just waiting for their bodies to be found,” he says despondently.
‘I want my brother back’
Saadia, the sister of 25-year-old Saad, can be seen screaming and pleading before police and Rangers outside the plaza.
“Tell me where my only brother is! So many days have passed, why won’t you tell us where my brother is?”
Saad worked at a shop in Gul Plaza. His life was snuffed out in the fire that day. Saadia says angrily and painfully, “The rescue being carried out is inadequate. We want our brother back! If you can’t do anything, then let us search for our brother ourselves. You’re not doing anything yourselves, nor are you letting us do it.”
Sobbing, she continues, “He was the sole breadwinner of our home. Now our household has been destroyed. We still haven’t received his body. When he left for duty, Saad promised our mother he would return at night, but he never came back.”
Saadia was accompanied by Saad’s aunts and other neighborhood residents who were protesting against the administration.
A harrowing scene
Adnan, a shopkeeper at Gul Plaza whose brother is missing in this tragedy, describes the incident when it unfolded.
“When the fire broke out that night, my brother, our employee and I were all there inside. Suddenly the fire erupted. We tried to escape. We were both holding hands, but there was a huge crowd, and chaos everywhere. My brother’s hand slipped from mine. I made it outside, but my brother couldn’t get out.”
Adnan said he went back to search for his brother, but the plaza was in blackout, the electricity had shut down. “My brother’s body has still not been found.”
The difficult process of identification
Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed released a list of 67 victims on Thursday whose bodies have been brought to Civil Hospital Karachi since January 17. She explained that six bodies were identified through facial features, eight through DNA testing, and one was identified with the help of a computerized national identity card.
Dr. Summaiya Syed said that DNA matching for 37 victims is ongoing. However, she warned that identifying 15 bodies would be extremely difficult because it was not possible to extract DNA from them due to the intensity of the fire.
Fire engulfed plaza within moments: rescue official
Fire fighter Zafar Ali Khan, who participated in the rescue operation, says: “I have been working with the fire service for many years, but this fire was different from all others. Fire doesn’t usually spread this quickly, but the Gul Plaza fire engulfed the entire plaza in moments and turned it into a heap of ashes in the blink of an eye. The intensity of the fire was such that it took three days to extinguish it.”
Ghulam Akbar, a volunteer from Chhipa Service, explains: “The intensity of the fire was very high. People had climbed onto the plaza’s roof, but there was no ladder for them to come down. We told people to jump, but the height was too great, so no one could jump.” He said he lifted three injured people into the ambulance and took them to a nearby hospital.
Lack of safety measures
Asif, a shopkeeper at a nearby mall, says: “In the videos I received, the fire appears to have started from a flower shop, but it seemed as if fire had broken out in different shops. Only an investigation can reveal the truth.”
He also mentioned the failure of rescue agencies: “They don’t have the capacity to deal with emergency situations. Helicopters should have been used to control the fire, but that wasn’t done. There were no safety arrangements either. This incident has caused billions of rupees in losses.”
According to shopkeepers, all doors were closed when the fire broke out, with only one door open. Around ten at night, all doors are closed and only one door remains open, which is why people got trapped.
History of fires in Karachi
This is not the first major fire incident in Karachi. This is the fourth major incident in the past twenty years. Previously, fires have occurred at Tahir Plaza, Baldia Factory, and RJ Shopping Mall, in which more than three hundred people lost their lives.
The fire broke out at Gul Plaza on Saturday night, January 17, engulfing the entire plaza in moments. According to firefighting agencies, the fire was so intense that it became difficult to control it in time. The fire was brought under control only after three days.
According to district administration, only body parts are being recovered during the rescue operation. The administration has begun collecting DNA samples from affected families to make identification possible, but for many families, the wait continues.