Family members say couple was there to buy a cake in preparation for the birth of their child
KARACHI:
A man who died along with his pregnant wife and young son in the Gul Plaza fire in Karachi has been identified as Omer Nabeel, a resident of North Nazimabad Block J in Karachi. According to obituaries shared on X, he was the chief financial officer of Naveena Group.
According to Express News, Nabeel lost his life in the blaze along with his pregnant wife, Dr Ayesha Omer, and their 10-year-old son, Ali. Their daughter was not at the plaza at the time of the incident. Family members said the couple had visited Gul Plaza to buy a cake in preparation for the birth of their child.
Eyewitnesses and relatives reported that after the fire broke out, Dr Ayesha contacted family members, explaining that they were trapped on the first floor and unable to find an exit due to thick smoke. Rescue teams later recovered their bodies during search operations.
Read: Gul Plaza death toll rises to 71 as search operation nears completion
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said on Friday that traders affected by the deadly Gul Plaza fire would be provided temporary shops within two months, while the damaged commercial structure would be demolished and reconstructed within two years.
“The plaza will have to be demolished, but we will rebuild Gul Plaza within two years, reconstruct the shops and hand them back to the traders,” Shah said, stressing that the number of shops would not be increased and reconstruction would follow Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA)-approved plans.
Addressing the Sindh Assembly, the chief minister said arrangements for temporary shops would be finalised within two months to allow traders to resume their businesses. He added that the Sindh government had identified two commercial buildings with a total of 850 shops, whose owners had agreed to waive rent for one year, with efforts under way to extend the rent-free period to two years.
