Information Commission orders disclosure after party claims it covered up investigation into fatal fire
Fire at Gul Plaza. PHOTO: XINHUA
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Tuesday slammed the Sindh government for what it said was a deliberate cover-up of the investigation report into the Gul Plaza fire, following an interim order by the Sindh Information Commission.
In a statement, the party spokesperson welcomed the commission’s decision, calling it a victory for the people of Sindh and a setback for what he described as a “corrupt feudal system” and bureaucratic collusion within provincial departments.
The spokesperson said the interim order, issued following a complaint filed by lawyer Muhammad Tariq Mansoor, had raised serious questions about the role of the provincial government in withholding the findings of the judicial commission into the deadly fire.
According to the statement, the one-member judicial commission headed by Justice Agha Faisal submitted a comprehensive investigation report – comprising four additional volumes – to the Legal Secretary on April 7, 2026, in the presence of the media and public.
However, when a request for access to the report was filed on April 28 under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the law secretary’s office reportedly refused to entertain the request, drawing criticism from the information commission.
The MQM-P spokesperson called the move a violation of Article 19-A of the Constitution, which guarantees the right of citizens to access information, adding that the commission had also expressed its displeasure over the matter.
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He further claimed that the absence of the report had already affected the legal proceedings, noting that a police charge sheet in a related case registered at the Nabi Bakhsh police station had been returned by a judicial magistrate due to the failure of the investigating officer to provide the findings of the investigation.
“This reflects the extent to which the provincial government protects those responsible and obstructs justice,” the spokesperson alleged.
The statement also criticizes the Interior Ministry for transferring responsibility to the Interior Ministry, calling it an attempt to deflect responsibility.
The Sindh Information Commission has since asked the Interior Minister to submit the full report of the Gul Plaza Judicial Commission, along with a separate inquiry report from the Karachi Commissioner dated January 20, 2026, in the next hearing scheduled for July 8.
The MQM-P is committed to pursuing this matter in all available forums, including the courts and responsible institutions, until those responsible are held accountable and justice is served to the families of the victims.
