Karachi: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh has said that the party’s planned protest on Friday over the Gul Plaza tragedy has been temporarily postponed following consultations with political parties, the business community, parties of the Tehreek Tahaffuz-i-Ayeen Pakistan, and the leadership of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA). He clarified that PTI does not want to create any obstacle in rescue operations or the removal of debris, nor does it intend to give the ‘corrupt government’ an opportunity to shift blame.
Haleem Adil Sheikh said that a PTI relief camp has been in place at Gul Plaza since the first day and relief activities will continue. He added that he himself remained present at the site and described the situation as extremely distressing. According to him, several bodies are still feared to be trapped under the rubble, bodies were recovered from the debris even yesterday, and the search for a number of missing persons is ongoing.
He stressed that the protest has not been called off but only postponed. If affected traders are not provided full compensation, if Gul Plaza is not reconstructed, and if those responsible are not punished in accordance with the law, PTI Sindh will once again take to the streets along with other political parties.
Haleem Adil Sheikh said the incident did not take place in a remote area and timely and effective rescue operations were possible, but criminal negligence was displayed. He alleged that Karachi has been deliberately left neglected, and the frequent tragedies in the city are clear evidence of this failure.
Holding the Sindh government, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), the mayor, and the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) directly responsible for the Gul Plaza tragedy, he said the pace of rescue and debris-clearing operations was unacceptably slow. The incident, he added, has resulted in the loss of precious human lives and financial losses running into billions of rupees.
Haleem Adil Sheikh demanded that affected traders be given full compensation, Gul Plaza be reconstructed immediately, families of the deceased be paid Rs10 million each in compensation, and concrete measures be taken to prevent such tragedies in the future. He said that if traders contributing 65 per cent of the country’s taxes are left helpless, it reflects a grave failure of the state.
He concluded by saying that PTI will not abandon the families of the victims or the affected traders, and that party workers are present with the victims and will continue to stand by them.