KARACHI: Thousands of supporters of an ultra-religious party are gathering in Karachi to start a large anti-government march on Pakistan’s capital farther north.
Mufti Abrar Ahmed, spokesman for the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party, says its leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman will lead the protesters’ caravan setting off later on Sunday.
The beginning of the JUI protest also marks the anniversary of the start of the conflict over Kashmir, a province both India and Pakistan claim. Separate, anti-India protests are planned across Pakistan.
Ahmed said supporters from Karachi and surrounding areas will travel in buses and vans toward the capital. He said the caravan plans to reach Islamabad on Oct. 31st, to protest Prime Minister Imran Khan’s “illegitimate” government which the Islamist party says came to power through the army’s support.
Large anti-government march sets off for Pakistan’s capital
Large anti-government march sets off for Pakistan’s capital
- Fazlur Rehman, leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party, will lead the protesters' caravan
- The caravan plans to reach Islamabad on Thursday
Death toll in Karachi mall fire rises to 73 after two more bodies recovered — rescue service
- Authorities have yet to confirm the cause of the fire at Gul Plaza which housed around 1,200 shops
- The identification process has been slowed by the condition of the remains recovered from the site
KARACHI: The death toll from a devastating fire at a shopping mall in Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi climbed to 73 on Sunday, the Edhi rescue service said, following the recovery of the remains of two more persons.
The development came as rescuers and volunteers continued to comb through the debris at Gul Plaza, a densely packed commercial complex in the heart of Karachi where a deadly fire erupted on Jan. 17, for remains of the victims.
Over the past week, family members of more than a dozen missing persons have stayed near the destroyed plaza and hospital even after providing their DNA samples for testing, with some relatives also criticizing authorities for the slow pace of rescue efforts.
“The death toll in the Gul Plaza tragedy has reached 73,” the Edhi rescue service said in a statement on Sunday night. “The remains of two more bodies were shifted to the Edhi morgue today.”
There was no official comment on the increase in death toll.
“We have processed 71 sets of remains, of which 20 have been identified,” Chief Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed said on Friday.
The identification process has been significantly slowed by the condition of the remains recovered from the site, according to Syed. Many bodies were found in fragments, complicating DNA analysis and prolonging the process for families waiting for confirmation.
Authorities have yet to confirm the cause of the fire at the building, which housed around 1,200 shops. Traders say the blaze caused more than $53 million losses.
Fires are common in Karachi’s markets and factories, which are known for their poor infrastructure, but a blaze on such a scale is rare.
The provincial government has announced that it will give Rs10 million ($35,720) to each family of the deceased. All 1,200 shopkeepers will also be compensated.
