Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab has explained why he reached the site of the Gul Plaza fire incident after 23 hours after the tragedy.
During the press briefing after 10 days of the incident, Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab addressed media on Gul plaza incident saying he was not in Karachi when the incident occurred and was on leave with his family in Islamabad.
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Speaking to journalists, the mayor said he had not given a proper media briefing after the incident and had so far not presented his official stance publicly. He explained that although he visited the site earlier, he did not formally address the media and chose to clarify his position later.
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According to the mayor, he was in Islamabad with his family when the fire broke out at Gul Plaza. He said he learned about the incident late at night and felt deeply saddened by the tragedy. He added that he immediately contacted his team and senior officials in Karachi to monitor the situation.
The mayor said he remained in continuous contact with the Karachi commissioner and his administrative staff, including the managing director of the Water Board, the chief operating officer, the hydrant cell in-charge, and Municipal Commissioner Afzal Zaidi.
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He stated that all concerned officials were present on the ground and actively engaged in rescue and response operations.
Murtaza Wahab said that as soon as he got the earliest available flight, he returned to Karachi. After landing at the airport, he sent his family home and proceeded directly to the Gul Plaza site.
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He said that when he arrived, the fire was still ongoing and the situation was tense, with people grieving and expressing anger over the incident.
The mayor said he spoke to people who were suffering due to the tragedy and tried to understand their concerns. He acknowledged that some individuals raised slogans at the site but said that such reactions were part of public emotions during difficult times.
“If chanting slogans alone could solve problems or extinguish fires, tragedies would have been prevented much earlier,” Mayor said.
