RAWALPINDI/
LAHORE:
Alarmingly weak fire safety standards have been uncovered across major commercial buildings in Punjab following a province-wide inspection, launched after the deadly fire at Karachi’s Gul Plaza, which claimed over 50 lives, officials said on Wednesday.
The Punjab Emergency and Rescue Department conducted a fire safety survey and found serious deficiencies at majority of plazas, markets, and shopping malls. Of the 2,214 buildings inspected across the province, 1,722 were placed in the lowest ‘D’ safety category.
Lahore emerged as the high-risk city in the survey. Officials put 682 buildings across the provincial capital in ‘D’ category, and declared 13 structures completely unsafe for occupation.
The report noted that many of the D-category buildings lacked basic fire protection measures, including fire alarms, sprinkler systems, and clearly marked emergency exits.
Authorities warned that such lapses could result in catastrophic loss of life and property in the event of a major blaze.
By contrast, only 65 buildings across Punjab met the highest A-grade safety standards. Another 129 were classified as B-grade, while 284 fell into the C-grade category.
The findings come in the aftermath of the Gul Plaza inferno in Karachi, which killed a number of people including customers, shop owners and their staff. Rescue officials said, 86 individuals remain unaccounted for, while DNA testing continues to identify the victims whose bodies have been recovered so far.
In response, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced a comprehensive audit of fire safety systems at all commercial and residential plazas as well as the high-rise building across the province. She stressed for new standard operating procedures (SOPs) and their strict enforcement to avert risks such as electric short circuits and delayed emergency response.
“Inspections will cover both public and private buildings, including government offices, hospitals, schools, and commercial centres,” the chief minister said in a statement, adding that public safety would remain her government’s top priority.
A day earlier, Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique ordered immediate implementation of the Building Safety Regulations 2022 throughout the province. Speaking at a meeting at Rescue 1122 headquarters in Lahore, he directed officials to take strict legal action against violators.
During the briefing, Emergency Services Secretary Dr Rizwan Naseer told participants that surveys of all 2,214 high-rise buildings had been completed. He also outlined plans to expand fire services to 39 additional tehsils at an estimated cost of Rs2 billion.
Rafique said the initiative aligned with the chief minister’s vision to modernise emergency services, citing the launch of air ambulance operations and improved response systems. He emphasised that enforcing building safety regulations was ‘the need of the hour’ to prevent further loss of lives.
Officials said notices would be issued immediately to owners of D-category buildings, requiring mandatory installation of fire safety systems within a fixed timeframe. Failure to comply, they warned, would result in fines and legal action.
According to Rescue 1122, Punjab currently operates 281 fire vehicles with 2,446 trained fire rescuers. The service has responded to more than 280,000 fire emergencies, preventing estimated losses of Rs768 billion. Province-wide, emergency services include over 15,000 rescuers, 892 ambulances, 20 aerial platforms, and 800 rescue boats.
Authorities reiterated that there would be no compromise on the protection of lives and property, as enforcement of fire safety laws intensifies across Punjab.
Fire safety crackdown ordered in Rawalpindi
Meanwhile, the Rawalpindi district administration issued strict directives making modern and functional fire-fighting equipment and emergency exits mandatory across the district.
The orders apply to all small and large shopping malls, commercial plazas, major factories, chemical and acid manufacturing and supply units, cardboard, paper, plastic, furniture factories, garment units and major markets.
Instructions have been issued to trader organisations, associations, factory owners, plaza administrations and shopping mall managements to immediately install modern fire-fighting equipment and create emergency exit routes.
The Civil Defence Department was also ordered to conduct a large-scale inspection operation across the district.
Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Hasan Waqar Cheema directed all area assistant commissioners to carry out inspections. The Civil Defence Department will conduct operations and provide training to employees of major shopping malls, commercial plazas, and factories on the use of fire-fighting equipment and rescue procedures so that rescue work can begin at the local level before the arrival of the fire brigade or Rescue 1122.
Civil Defence will also conduct complete inspections of the installed equipment, and heavy fines and challans will be imposed for installing fake or non-functional equipment.
All plaza owners, commercial centres, major markets, business hubs, factories, banks, and paper, cardboard, plastic, and wood factories have been warned to install fire-fighting equipment by January 25, 2026.
A crackdown will begin from January 26, with zero tolerance for non-compliance, including heavy fines, challans, and registration of cases.
Deputy Commissioner Hasan Waqar Cheema said the administration’s priority was the complete protection of human lives and transparent security, warning of strict action against public places with heavy footfall that lack modern fire safety arrangements.
