KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday told the Sindh Assembly that the provincial government would demolish and reconstruct Gul Plaza within two years, ensuring no increase in the number of shops.

Giving a policy statement on the floor, he announced a comprehensive relief package for the affected people, including Rs10 million compensation for families of the deceased, Rs500,000 for affected traders for subsistence, and interest-free loans through the Sindh Enterprise Development Fund.

“Alternative commercial spaces are being arranged, with efforts to waive rent for affected traders for up to two years,” he added.

Mr Shah also provided a thinly attended house the details and the timeline of the incident, stating that the fire erupted at 10:14pm on the ground floor and the first emergency call was received at 10:26pm. “The first fire tender was dispatched at 10:27pm,” he said, adding that the commissioner, deputy commissioner and police reached the site within 16 minutes of the blaze.

The chief minister dismissed claims linking the Gul Plaza tragedy to the 18th Amendment and said that raising constitutional questions over dead bodies and using this tragedy for political purposes was a crime.

He appealed to the critics to focus on accountability but avoid politicising the tragedy with hidden agendas. “The PPP has always stood with the people in times of crisis – and will continue to do so,” he said.

Tracing irregularities in Gul Plaza’s construction to decades earlier, the chief minister said that the original plan allowed a basement and two floors, but additional floors were later sanctioned. “The plot, leased in 1884 for 99 years, was renewed in 1991, and violations were regularised in 2003 – all before the 18th Amendment,” he said.

Muhammad Farooq of Jamaat-i-Islami tried to interrupt the CM’s speech, but Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah firmly asked him to remain seated, saying the CM was on his feet. Immediately after the CM’s address, the opposition members belonging to MQM-P, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Jamaat-i-Islami rose, seeking the chair’s permission to speak on the tragedy.

The house unanimously passed the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (Sindh Administration) Act, 2014 (Revival) Bill, 2026 into law.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs minister said that it was expedient to revive the NICVD (Sindh Administration) Act, 2014 following an agreement between the Sindh and federal governments for the management and operational control of the institute for 25 years.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2026