KARACHI: Experts specialising in rescue operations, law enforcement, firefighting, health and forensic techniques at a seminar held on Wednesday recommended the establishment of a centralised emergency operations centre (EOC) under the district administration to prepare, plan and coordinate disaster response.

The discussion on the Gul Plaza fire was organised by the Sindh Forensic DNA and Serology Laboratory (SFDL) at the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), Karachi University.

The centralised EOC, they stressed, should be aimed at bringing all relevant stakeholders, including the police, fire brigade, rescue service, traffic police, health department, CPLC, utility agencies, and forensic institutions under a single communication framework for disaster response.

There was consensus on the need for specialised search and rescue teams trained in high-rise fire response, structural collapse rescue, and incidents involving hazardous material.

Experts identify gaps in coordination, communication and victim identification during discussion on Gul Plaza incident

“We need to take concrete measures on the ground to ensure that precious lives are saved in any fire incidents,” remarked Prof Muhammad Raza Shah, ICCBS Director, in his inaugural address, underscoring the need for collaboration among all stakeholders under a single framework.

Prof Shah, also the author of Safety in the Chemical Laboratory and Industry: A Practical Guide, shared his observations and experiences in implementing safety and security guidelines for infrastructure, stating that it was very important that a safety culture be promoted in all fields, institutions and cities, particularly in a densely populated city like Karachi.

Police Surgeon Dr Sumaiya Syed Tariq spoke about the medico-legal challenges faced during the Gul Plaza incident and discussed the way forward.

Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad Khan discussed the contributions of the DNA laboratory and the challenges posed by high fire intensity and DNA degradation.

“Through this forum, we are recommending that Rescue-1122 should get specialised training in retrieving bodies. They must know how to identify one body from another and preserve it for further investigation.

“In cases where bodies are completely burnt and turned into ashes, DNA-based identification becomes almost impossible, making the job of rescue teams very crucial. They need to record and document the scene from where samples/bodies are being retrieved,” he said, adding that this information later helped in victim identification and mortality confirmation.

The speakers also discussed the shortcomings identified during the Gul Plaza rescue operation, which included the absence of a unified incident command system; the lack of a robust communication system through a unified command centre; the absence of a victim tracking system; and delays in the activation of secondary response.

The legal and procedural gaps highlighted at the forum included the lack of enforcement of building safety laws and the absence of disaster management laws/regulations; as well as the absence of a legal/forensic framework to identify the deceased in the absence of mainstream forensic evidence, such as facial recognition, fingerprint, DNA, and dental records.

In his talk, Citizens Police Liaison Committee Director Amir Hasan presented an overview of the Gul Plaza incident.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2026