Karachi (HRNW)- A Judicial Magistrate (South) has reserved a decision on a petition seeking the addition of murder charges to the Gul Plaza tragedy case.
The court reserved its ruling after hearing arguments from lawyers representing the shopkeepers, the accused and the prosecution. The accused, including Tanveer Pasta, Ramzan, Amin, Ammar, Naimatullah and Huzaifa, appeared before the court.
Advocate Abdul Qayyum Qadri, representing the shopkeepers, argued that the Gul Plaza case should be treated similarly to the Baldia Factory tragedy, and requested that murder provisions be added to the case. He also sought to have the shopkeepers made parties to the proceedings.
Defence counsel Javed Mir opposed the petition, arguing that it was not maintainable and that there were significant differences between the two incidents. He said the Baldia Factory case involved the use of phosphorus chemicals, whereas the Gul Plaza fire had been described as an accident. The prosecution also opposed the petition, maintaining that the Baldia Factory tragedy involved a demand for extortion and therefore terrorism charges had been applied in that case.
The dispute over the charges comes as the Gul Plaza investigation continues. A September police charge sheet primarily attributed the fire to alleged criminal negligence by the building management, while the investigation has also faced earlier criticism from the court over deficiencies in the probe.
After hearing arguments from all sides, the court reserved its decision on the shopkeepers’ petition.
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