The charred remains of Gul Plaza in Karachi stand as a horrific monument to negligence, where 67 innocent lives were extinguished in a fire that has exposed the criminal lack of safety standards in the developing world.

As rescuers combed through the debris on Friday, the official death toll rose to 67, with a staggering 77 people still listed as missing. The blaze, which erupted on Saturday evening (Jan 17), turned the bustling shopping complex into a crematorium. But the true tragedy lies in the details: investigations have revealed that 13 of the mall’s 16 exits were locked, trapping shoppers and shopkeepers inside a burning coffin. It is a narrative sickeningly familiar to us in Nairobi, evoking painful memories of the Nakumatt Downtown fire where blocked exits sealed the fate of dozens.

A Systemic Failure of Governance

The fire at Gul Plaza, which housed over 1,200 shops, was not an accident; it was a disaster waiting to happen. Witnesses describe a chaotic scene where the lack of fire alarms, sprinklers, and accessible exits turned panic into paralysis. "We saw them burning before our eyes," one shopkeeper recounted, a testimony that should haunt the corridors of power in Islamabad.

The parallel with Kenya’s own unregulated markets is stark. Just as Gikomba Market burns with suspicious regularity, destroying livelihoods and lives, Karachi’s commercial hubs are ticking time bombs of poor wiring and overcrowding. The "wedding season" rush meant the plaza was packed, maximizing the casualty count. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-1)The 10 million Pakistani Rupee (approx. KES 4.6 million) compensation promised to families feels like blood money—a reactive payout for a preventable catastrophe.

• The Identification Agony: With bodies burned beyond recognition, authorities are relying on DNA testing. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-3)Only 16 victims have been identified so far. The agony of waiting families, camped outside the smoldering ruin, is a torture that no government apology can soothe.
• The Missing: The figure of 77 missing persons suggests the final death toll could surpass 140. These are not just numbers; they are fathers, mothers, and children whose only crime was shopping for a wedding.

The Cost of Cutting Corners

This disaster must serve as a wake-up call for urban planners across the Global South. In Nairobi, we see buildings rising in Eastleigh and Pipeline with zero regard for fire safety. The Karachi fire proves that regulations exist only on paper until they are enforced. When a developer locks an emergency exit to "prevent theft," they are prioritizing merchandise over human life.

As Pakistan mourns, the anger on the streets is palpable. This was mass manslaughter by negligence. The owners of Gul Plaza and the city officials who turned a blind eye to the safety violations must be held criminally accountable. Until we stop trading safety for profit, the poor will continue to burn.