Rescue operations continued in Karachi’s Gul Plaza on Sunday following a devastating third-degree fire that broke out in the building on Saturday night.

The president of the Gul Plaza Traders Association, Tanveer Qasim, has rejected allegations that the building lacked proper ventilation and raised serious questions about the performance of government agencies during the emergency.

Speaking to Aaj News, Tanveer Qasim refuted claims that the building had inadequate ventilation, calling them completely false.

“The market has about 16 entry and exit points, 12 windows, an emergency exit ramp, four doors leading towards the mosque, and a full ventilation system,” he explained.

Qasim said the government was trying to shift the blame to the ventilation system to cover up its own incompetence.

He stressed that no effective rescue teams were on the ground for over an hour after the fire started.

As a result, traders had to take matters into their own hands, he said.

“Approximately 200 to 250 people were evacuated via the emergency ramp on a self-help basis. The ground floor was completely evacuated, and efforts were made to rescue people trapped on the mezzanine floor. However, no rescue personnel were willing to enter,” he added.

Qasim expressed frustration, stating that traders waited for help throughout the night, as no Rescue 1122 teams entered the building to help.

“Every ten minutes, the fire brigade’s water supply would run out, or there would be some technical issue,” he claimed.

“Their diesel or sparkler would develop some problem every ten minutes.”

According to Qasim, the fire broke out at 10.10pm, and immediate steps were taken to cut off the power supply with K-Electric’s assistance.

Fire trucks were called in, but they arrived after over an hour later. “We tried to extinguish the fire using fire extinguishers and water for one hour. After an hour and a quarter, the first fire truck arrived. Even then, its water ran out within 10 minutes.”

Qasim also clarified that the building’s layout plans show the presence of 24 ventilation ducts, six staircases, and 16 entry and exit points on the mezzanine, first, and second floors.

“We even have a fire safety certificate for the building,” he added. Despite this, the blame for the disaster is still being shifted onto the building itself, he added.

He expressed concern about the condition of rescue personnel, some of whom did not even have masks due to the thick smoke, which prevented them from entering the building.

“Serious attempts to rescue anyone inside the building were not made throughout the night. More than half of Gul Plaza has burned down, and the building has collapsed. The chances of anyone still inside surviving are extremely low,” he said.

Qasim also pointed out that since it was a Saturday, thousands of people were inside the market.

“There are 1,200 shops in Gul Plaza, and if there are on average four people per shop, that’s around 5,000 shopkeepers alone,” he explained.

“Now, it’s estimated that only 50 to 60 people remain inside, which shows that the majority were evacuated by the traders themselves.”

He claimed that a snorkel had arrived last night, but it remained out of action due to a technical fault and did not assist with the rescue.

He said the delay in the arrival of fire trucks was being attributed to ongoing road development projects, although there are three alternative routes to reach Gul Plaza.