The indictment, submitted to the court by an investigator through the prosecutor on 4/7, names six defendants: Huzaifa, the boy; his father Naimatullah, owner of a fake flower shop in the building; and four members of the Gul Plaza mall management board.

The indictment relates to the fire at the facility on 17/1, which killed 72 people and injured 8. Over 1,100 shops within the mall were destroyed, causing significant financial damage.

Fire and rescue forces took almost a week to extinguish the blaze. All six defendants fled after the incident but were later arrested.

According to investigation results and witness testimony, the fire ignited after the 11-year-old boy played with matches inside the shop. Witness Aryan, 13, testified before the judge that he was present in the shop when Huzaifa was playing with matches and the fire suddenly erupted.

The scene of the Gul Plaza mall fire in Karachi, Pakistan, in january. Photo: AFP

Two other witnesses, Mohammad Talha and Hamza Amir, corroborated this testimony. They accused Naimatullah of frequently leaving his young son unsupervised in the shop and allowing him to directly oversee it.

Call data records (CDR) cited in the indictment also indicate that Naimatullah was not present at the shop when the fire occurred.

Gul Plaza management members are accused of negligence, failing to enforce safety regulations, and not preventing minors from overseeing shops.

According to the indictment, basic fire safety measures were either not equipped or did not meet requirements. The building's emergency exits were locked or blocked, fire extinguishers were insufficient, and there was no fire hydrant system or emergency backup lighting. These deficiencies exacerbated the fire's consequences after the building's power supply was cut, plunging the structure into darkness as the flames rapidly spread.

Management members also failed to promptly notify fire or rescue services. Their call data shows no emergency calls were made during the critical initial phase.

The investigator stated that Huzaifa will be tried in a juvenile court. Prosecutors are pursuing charges against the remaining defendants under criminal law for actions including negligence related to fire or flammable materials, manslaughter, causing injury through carelessness or negligence, destroying property by fire or explosives, and complicity.

Huyen Le (According to Dawn, Times of India)