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‘Is this an accident or just plain indifference?’ — Celebrities furious after fire at Karachi’s Gul Plaza kills 23

‘Is this an accident or just plain indifference?’ — Celebrities furious after fire at Karachi’s Gul Plaza kills 23

Celebrity reactions to the blaze continued to pour in as more than 60 remained missing.
20 Jan, 2026

Condolences and horrified reactions to the devastating fire at Karachi’s Gul Plaza continued to pour in from celebrities on Monday as the city reeled from the loss of 23 lives and a beloved shopping centre where many memories were made.

Stars like Shae Gill sent prayers while calls for change echoed among stars.

Mahira Khan questioned whether this was “an accident” or just “indifference” from those responsible for the city and talked about basic fire safety measures that are missing from most buildings.

Ayesha Omar said the people of Karachi “don’t deserve this” after “working tirelessly and moving forward despite the terrible infrastructure and systems not in place”. Durefishan Saleem agreed that the city “needs a government that truly works for its people”.

Others demanded accountability, with Fatima Bhutto outlining how many times the authorities had been given a chance to get things right before this particular incident. Hadiqa Kiani said this was the time to strengthen critical, lifesaving infrastructure in Karachi and elsewhere in Pakistan.

A number of harrowing stories came out from survivors and the loved ones of people who lost their lives. Musician Haroon Shahid talked about his son’s tutor, whose family was trapped in the building.

As grief gives way to anger, cries for change are only expected to get louder as citizens of Pakistan’s largest city are made to feel as if they can’t count on anyone but themselves to save their lives if the building they’re in catches fire.

While something as big as the Gul Plaza fire would have led to serious soul-searching in most places, it remains to be seen what will change for Karachi.

Comments

ABE Jan 20, 2026 03:05pm
Ok, so the Internet is also slow in Karachi. It took these celebs to notice - 3 days after the disaster?? The fire began Sat evening, and within 24 hours dozens were dead and missing. The opportunist 'celebs' want to capitalize on the tragedy now?
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Falcon1 Jan 20, 2026 03:43pm
Next week, perhaps the news will reach the UK and even Malala could opine on the tragedy!!
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Guru Jan 20, 2026 03:58pm
Nothing will happen. Mayor will get mad, angry, CM will demand a report in 24 hours & in the end devastated families will be given 10Mil Rs. Zardari will travel overseas, his son will make a foreign trip for strategic alignment. PM will travel to davos.
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Taj Ahmad Jan 20, 2026 04:43pm
So sad and tragic, please help each other’s as much as possible. Gul Plaza fire was a great disaster and loss of lives.
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Ehsan Jan 20, 2026 08:15pm
No doubt city administration has to ensure that buildings are safe butWhat about the owner of the building Don’t they have a responsibility to keep it safe
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Ali Jan 21, 2026 01:45am
This is not the first time such major fire outbreak has taken place in Karachi's infrastructure. In past many times fire broke out and had the same tragic out come which we saw this time in Gul Plaza's incident. Not sure about the Karachi authorities if they are ignoring all important safety measures in the buildings in Khi on purpose or so many incompetent people are posted on key positions which have no basic knowledge about public safety at all? There should be a serious investigation needs to be done and all those people who have been involved in the negligence of fire safety and above all public safety should be punished and made an example for future references.
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