A judicial magistrate (South) heard proceedings in the Gul Plaza incident case on Saturday in the presence of accused Tanveer Pasta, other suspects and investigating officer DSP Amir Warak. Lawyer Abdul Qayyum Qadri submitted a power of attorney on behalf of several shop owners and asked the court to allow them to become parties to the proceedings. The court questioned the shop owners’ connection to the case and asked why they had appeared before it. It also asked whether they were complainants or witnesses and whether they had recorded statements under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Mr Qadri said the shop owners initially considered the incident an accident but now believed it involved culpable homicide. He compared the case with the Baldia factory fire case and alleged that windows, doors and passageways at Gul Plaza had been blocked. The lawyer said he represented the affected shop owners and wanted to assist the prosecution. The court also asked whether the shop owners had received financial assistance following the fire. Their lawyer said compensation had been provided to tenants but that the owners had not received any payments. Iran-US Conflict Tehran says diplomacy is only way forward after Trump rejects proposal Accused Tanveer Pasta told the court that the government would construct shops for the affected owners. The court questioned why the shop owners had not instead filed a constitutional petition. Mr Qadri said the investigation was still under way and the charge sheet had not been approved. He said the shop owners wanted to participate in the investigation either as complainants or witnesses. Defence lawyer Mahmood Hussain opposed the petition, arguing that it had been filed on behalf of only three shopkeepers. He suggested that the shop owners pursue a recovery case or approach the committee responsible for providing financial assistance. Investigating officer DSP Amir Warak told the court that the shop owners had neither contacted him nor recorded statements during the investigation. He said statements had been recorded from five people associated with Gul Plaza. The shop owners’ lawyer also alleged that compensation funds distributed after the incident had been misappropriated on a large scale. The allegation was not established during the hearing. The judicial magistrate reserved a ruling on whether the petition was maintainable and adjourned the hearing until October 2. Separately, an Additional District and Sessions Judge (South) extended the interim bail of five accused in the Gul Plaza fire case until October 3. Tanveer Pasta, Ramzan, Naimatullah, Amin Ammar and Huzaifa appeared before the court. Their defence lawyer said the accused had regularly appeared before the court and requested confirmation of their interim bail. The state prosecutor said the final charge sheet had not yet been approved, while investigating officer Amir Warak asked the court to cancel the accused’s bail. The Gul Plaza fire killed 72 people, according to the case record cited during the proceedings. Post navigation Pakistan Navy: Ships seize 2,800kg narcotics worth $750m in Arabian Sea
