The investigation into the Gul Plaza tragedy could not be completed due to the pending statements of officials from the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and the Water Corporation. Consequently, the investigating officer sought additional time from the court to complete the probe.
DSP Amir Warraich informed the court that statements from officials of the two key institutions had yet to be recorded, making it impossible to conclude the investigation.
The court accepted the request and granted the investigating officer time until August 9 to complete the inquiry.
According to investigative sources, officials from both departments are expected to record their statements after the Chehlum observance.
Sources further stated that the investigation team has so far recorded statements from officials of six government departments, including the Traffic Police, Fire Brigade, Civil Defence, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), the Deputy Commissioner South’s Office, and Rescue 1122.
Investigative sources said that Tanveer Pasta has been identified as bearing the greatest responsibility in the Gul Plaza case. He is alleged to have failed to fulfil his responsibilities after the fire broke out and, instead of immediately notifying the Fire Brigade, reportedly contacted K-Electric first.
According to the investigating officer, statements have already been recorded from Tanveer Pasta, Ammar Ismail, Ameen, Ramzan, Naimatullah, Huzaifa, and several others.
Earlier, the investigating officer had nominated Tanveer Pasta, the President of the Gul Plaza Union, along with five others as suspects in the case. They are currently on pre-arrest (interim) bail along with the other accused.
