Gul Plaza tragedy: Registrar of the Sindh High Court requests Terms of Reference from the Sindh Government for a judicial committee.

The Registrar of the Sindh High Court (SHC) responded to a letter from the Interior Secretary of Sindh concerning the formation of a judicial committee to probe the Gul Plaza disaster.

At the behest of the Chief Justice, the Terms of Reference (ToRs) were requested for the establishment of the judicial panel. The letter indicates that the Interior Secretary has been requested to submit the Terms of Reference for the judicial commission to the Sindh High Court.

The Sindh High Court replied to the Governor of Sindh’s letter, addressing the Governor’s Principal Secretary. The court asserted that the Governor’s letter fails to adhere to the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling concerning enquiry committees, and that the request cannot be approved without following the legal protocol.

In matters of public significance, the established protocol for an enquiry mandates that the government appoints a judge or a legal expert.

Of the 79 individuals who perished in the disaster, the remains of 69 have been returned to their families. The Karachi Commissioner stated that DNA testing is underway for three of the remaining ten bodies, while efforts to locate the family of seven fatalities continue.