SBCA invites bids for Gul Plaza demolition after deadly Karachi fire

The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has invited bids from companies for the Gul Plaza demolition in Karachi, the shopping center gutted by a fire in January that killed at least 72 people.

Bids can be submitted until November 20, according to an advertisement issued by the authority.

What are the terms of the Gul Plaza demolition contract?

Companies must submit technical and financial proposals separately, with a base price of Rs40 million. The SBCA will supervise the work, and the selected firm will have three months to finish it. The contract will not go automatically to the highest bidder, the authority’s director of demolition said.

Preference will be given to firms that can show they have demolished at least 20 buildings, he said. The successful bidder will be entitled to keep the debris and scrap. The Karachi South deputy commissioner will decide how any shopkeepers’ belongings found in the rubble are distributed.

A technical committee recommended demolition in January. The Sindh government has also announced plans to build a new structure on the site.

Fire department workers walk past the site, following a massive fire that broke out in the Gul Plaza Shopping Mall in Karachi, Pakistan, January 20, 2026. Reuters

What happened at Gul Plaza on January 17?

The fire started on the night of January 17, 2026, at Gul Plaza on MA Jinnah Road, a commercial center that had operated for decades. The building covered 8,128 square yards, or about 1.75 acres, and housed more than 1,153 shops, which were destroyed. Firefighters took more than a day to bring the blaze under control, and it took several days to extinguish fully.

The Sindh government’s investigation report said it began at an artificial flower and gift shop on the ground floor near gate no six, and attributed the cause to a lit matchstick. It spread quickly through shops stocking cosmetics, garments and plastic goods. The fire brigade, Rescue 1122, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), the Pakistan Navy, police and Rangers took part in the response.

Why did so many people die in the Gul Plaza fire?

According to the same report, electricity was switched off at around 10:20pm as a precaution, leaving the building in darkness. An estimated 2,000 to 2,500 people were inside. The report described panic among those trapped, noting that many fire exits were locked, blocked or encroached upon, and that narrow staircases slowed escape.

Thirteen of the building’s 16 exits were reportedly locked. The report concluded that gross negligence was central to the tragedy.

The death toll climbed over several days as rescuers recovered remains from the rubble. It stood at six in the first reports, 71 by January 23 and 73 by January 25. Later reports put it at 78 to 80, and DNA testing was needed to identify many of the victims. The Sindh government announced Rs10 million in compensation for victims’ families.

What inquiries followed the Gul Plaza fire?

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah ordered an immediate inquiry on the first day, and a committee headed by the Karachi commissioner was formed. The chief minister also wrote to the Supreme Court seeking a transparent judicial inquiry. A single-member commission headed by Justice Agha Faisal was then set up.

The commission finished within its eight-week timeframe and gave a sealed report to the Sindh government in April. It did not directly blame any single entity or person.

Police registered a first information report (FIR) describing the fire as the result of negligence and carelessness.