Pak’s Khawaja Asif flags fire brigade crisis after Karachi mall blaze: ‘If local govt systems are not strengthened…’

Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif

• Karachi's Gul Plaza fire kills 28, reveals major fire safety flaws.
• City has only 28 fire stations, far below the 2,500 needed for its population
• Lawmakers urge stronger local governments and fire safety reforms after tragedy

Did our AI summary help?

The devastating fire in Karachi’s Gul Plaza, that killed 28 people, has thrown a harsh spotlight on the severe shortage of fire safety infrastructure in the city with an estimated population of nearly 25 million.

The issue also dominated the National Assembly on Tuesday, with lawmakers calling for reforms in the wake of the fire.

Defence minister Khawaja Asif backed calls for stronger local governments, saying it was “humanly impossible” to run Karachi under the existing administrative setup.

“If we want to empower the people in a true sense, we will have to bring in the local government system,” Asif said, according to a report by the Dawn.

He pointed out that the 18th Amendment vested full administrative authority with the provincial government. “If there is any local government, they do not have any powers,” he added.

The minister further held that, “if local government systems are not strengthened, then the defence ministry, the navy and the aviation will be doing your work for you”.

“This incident and the subsequent collapse of the fire brigade system are a clear signal that the country needs a system -- across tehsils, neighbourhoods, and provinces -- where people feel empowered and can hold their representatives accountable,” he said, referring to the Gul Plaza fire.

Officials have meanwhile acknowledged that the metropolis is functioning below internationally accepted fire safety standards.

Fire chief officer Muhammad Humayun Khan said standard operating procedures require one fire station for every 0.1 million people. By that benchmark, Karachi should ideally have around 2,500 fire stations.

However, speaking to ARY News, he revealed that the city currently has only 28 fire stations, supported by 45 fire tenders and just six snorkels--resources he described as grossly inadequate for a city of Karachi's size and density.

The fire, which broke out late on Saturday night, January 17, was brought under control only after nearly 36 hours of firefighting operations. The inferno claimed at least 28 lives, including one firefighter, while 81 people are still reported missing. Two sections of the building collapsed during the incident. Gul Plaza reportedly housed around 1,200 shops.