{"id":10014,"date":"2026-02-22T19:26:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T19:26:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hrnww.com\/?p=10014"},"modified":"2026-02-22T19:26:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T19:26:41","slug":"mqm-p-chairman-afaaq-ahmed-criticizes-gul-plaza-commission-calls-for-independent-inquiry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hrnww.com\/?p=10014","title":{"rendered":"MQM-P Chairman Afaaq Ahmed Criticizes Gul Plaza Commission, Calls for Independent Inquiry"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Karachi (HRNW) \u2014 <strong>Afaaq Ahmed<\/strong>, chairman of <strong>Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan<\/strong>, has expressed disappointment over the <strong>Gul Plaza Commission\u2019s investigation<\/strong>, calling its findings and approach <strong>deeply flawed and questionable<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to a delegation of traders at his residence, Afaaq Ahmed criticized the commission for <strong>praising the DC South and the DG SBCA<\/strong>, calling it \u201cincomprehensible,\u201d while noting that statements from provincial government officials <strong>before the commission were misleading<\/strong>. He highlighted that even <strong>official data confirms that 73 people were killed in the fire<\/strong>, and yet the <strong>responsible parties are being lauded<\/strong>, raising doubts and suspicion.<\/p>\n<p>Ahmed raised serious concerns about the <strong>identification of victims<\/strong>, noting that a government doctor admitted to the commission that <strong>some bodies were recovered in packets, with bones and flesh mixed together<\/strong>, questioning how the <strong>final figure of 73 victims could be considered accurate<\/strong>. He said:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIn the Gul Plaza case, it\u2019s not just a minor flaw \u2014 the entire process is flawed. Even the appointment of two lawyers and a reader as commission assistants is surprising; experts should have been engaged to aid the investigation.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>He further criticized the commission\u2019s <strong>handling of six surviving victims<\/strong>, who were summoned on February 25, pointing out that <strong>no arrangements for their security were disclosed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Afaaq Ahmed also criticized the <strong>police\u2019s role<\/strong>, stating that the <strong>SHO hastily blamed two children for the fire<\/strong> in the FIR, undermining confidence that victims could provide statements free from pressure. He added that the <strong>Gul Plaza Association president admitted in court that the organization had no legal standing<\/strong>, and had shifted blame to children, which Ahmed described as <strong>evidence of collusion between the association and the government<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Given these concerns, Ahmed demanded that the commission should have included <strong>officers from FIA, MI, ISI, and IB<\/strong>, or at minimum <strong>functioned as an auxiliary to the court<\/strong>, rather than being led by a person facing a judicial reference.<\/p>\n<p>He urged the <strong>Supreme Court to take suo moto action<\/strong> and form a <strong>new independent commission<\/strong>. Ahmed also warned that the <strong>fire in a 9-story building just days after the Gul Plaza tragedy<\/strong>, which killed 16 people, shows <strong>lessons are not being learned and further disasters are likely<\/strong> if reforms are not implemented.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>\ud83d\udd39 <strong>For more investigative updates and accountability reporting:<\/strong><br \/>\n\ud83d\udc49 <a href=\"https:\/\/hrnww.com\/support-us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hrnww.com\/support-us<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_10014\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"10014\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hrnww.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Karachi (HRNW) \u2014 Afaaq Ahmed, chairman of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan, has expressed disappointment over the Gul Plaza Commission\u2019s investigation, calling its findings and approach deeply flawed and questionable. Speaking to a delegation of traders at his residence, Afaaq Ahmed criticized the commission for praising the DC South and the DG SBCA, calling it \u201cincomprehensible,\u201d&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_10014\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"10014\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 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