ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday rejected opposition parties’ claims the government had pressured a local hotel in Islamabad against holding a two-day conference of an opposition alliance, urging its leaders to name the official who may have reached out to the hotel management.
The conference followed opposition parties forming a grand alliance under the banner of Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) — or the Movement for the Protection of the Constitution of Pakistan — after jailed former premier Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s failed negotiations with the government. The talks were meant to secure the release of political prisoners along with the formation of judicial commissions to probe two major anti-government protests by PTI that turned violent.
Earlier, during a press conference outside a local hotel in the capital, opposition leaders from the PTI, including Omar Ayub Khan, Asad Qaiser, and Salman Akram Raja, along with former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, alleged that the government was pressuring the hotel administration to cancel their booking.
“Which hotel person said the government told them not to allow the conference to take place?” Sanaullah asked during a talk show on Geo TV.
“Tell me who was it who did not allow [the hotel to host the conference]. Which person from the government? Which minister? Which officer said no?“
Sanaullah urged the opposition leaders to tell the truth instead of hurling allegations at the government.
“If anyone called and told the hotel to not to allow the conference to take place, tell us, we will contact that person,” he said, highlighting that the opposition leaders knew the government had not issued any such directive.
Meanwhile, on the same TV show, Abbasi said the government was afraid of the conference since it had not been properly elected in the last general elections.
He vowed that the opposition alliance would continue with the second day of the conference today, Thursday, from 10am onwards.
Pakistan government denies ‘pressuring’ Islamabad hotel from holding opposition moot
https://arab.news/j34zs
Pakistan government denies ‘pressuring’ Islamabad hotel from holding opposition moot
- Pakistan PM’s political adviser urges opposition leaders to name the official behind alleged incident
- Opposition leaders vow to hold the second day of their conference despite any political pressure
Police lodge case over Karachi mall blaze under mischief, negligence and murder clauses
- The fire broke out at the densely packed Gul Plaza in the heart of Karachi on Jan. 17 and has so far claimed 71 lives
- Traders have estimated losses at $53.6 million, while the government has announced $35,720 for family of each victim
ISLAMABAD: Police in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi have registered a case over a deadly blaze at Gul Blaza, which has so far claimed 71 lives, under mischief, negligence and murder clauses, a senior police official said on Saturday.
The fire broke out at the densely packed commercial complex in the heart of Karachi on Jan. 17, trapping workers and shoppers inside. It burnt for over 24 hours before being brought under control, leaving the building structurally unsafe.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the cause of the fire. Police said preliminary indications pointed to a possible electrical short circuit, though officials stress conclusions will only be drawn after investigations are completed.
A week after the incident, police have registered the first information report (FIR) of the incident under sections 427, 436, 337-H (i) and 322 of the Pakistan Penal Code, according to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Karachi South Asad Raza.
“The FIR of the Gul Plaza tragedy has been registered under the government’s prosecution, with case number 08/2026 at Nabi Bux police station,” Raza told Arab News.
Section 427 relates to mischief causing damage, 436 concerns mischief by fire or explosive substance, 337-H (i) details punishment for rash or negligent act, and 322 details punishment for homicide.
Deadly fires are a recurring problem in Karachi, a city of more than 20 million people, where overcrowded markets, aging infrastructure, illegal construction and weak enforcement of safety regulations frequently contribute to disasters. Officials say a blaze of this scale is rare.
Identification has been significantly slowed by the condition of the remains recovered from the site, Syed said, noting that many bodies were found in fragments, complicating DNA analysis and prolonging the process for families waiting for confirmation.
Traders have estimated total losses from the fire at up to Rs15 billion ($53.6 million). The Sindh provincial government this week announced compensation of Rs10 million ($35,720) for the family of each person killed in the blaze and said affected shopkeepers would also receive financial assistance.
Separately on Saturday, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) party urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to constitute an inquiry commission to hold those accountable whose negligence led to the Gul Plaza inferno.
“Incapability, mistake, apathy, shamelessness, impudence — these should be exposed,” MQM-P’s Farooq Sattar said, calling for an “independent judicial inquiry” into the Gul Plaza tragedy to ensure the truth comes to light.
LAHORE HOTEL FIRE
Meanwhile, a fire erupted at a hotel in the eastern city of Lahore in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province, according to Rescue 1122 service.
Six people were injured due to the blaze at the hotel in the city’s Gulberg area who were shifted to hospital.
“All necessary steps be taken to quickly control the fire, instructions,” Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali Aijaz directed authorities. “Immediate evacuation of all people from the building be ensured.”
