Islamabad, June 4 : The Human Rights Council (HRC) of Pakistan staged a protest outside the Karachi Press Club demanding justice for the victims and the 84 affected families of the Gul Plaza fire tragedy.

According to the rights body, during the protest held on Wednesday, speakers expressed grave concern over the non-disclosure of the judicial commission report submitted to the Sindh provincial government on the incident.

"They highlighted that despite the report being complete, it has yet to be made public. The protestors strongly urged the Chief Minister of Sindh to immediately release the report to ensure transparency and accountability," the HRC of Pakistan noted.

The protest led by HRC Pakistan Chairman Jamshed Hussain and Mehboob Noonari, President of HRC Sindh, brought together civil society representatives, human rights activists, and members of the aggrieved families.

The demonstrators demanded strict and decisive action against the individuals and institutions whose negligence led to the disaster.

They sharply criticised several critical failures, including "delays in the provision of water during firefighting operations, utter negligence by the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) in enforcing building safety codes and fire safety regulations, and the highly irresponsible conduct of Chief Fire Officer Humayun Khan."

The protestors also demanded the immediate removal of Chief Fire Officer Humayun Khan from his post in light of the commission's findings.

Highlighting the prolonged wait for justice by the affected families, the HRC of Pakistan called on the government of Sindh to take immediate legal action against the responsible elements.

"The demonstration concluded with a renewed demand for justice, transparent accountability, and the strict enforcement of building safety laws to prevent such tragedies in the future," it noted.

The Gul Plaza tragedy that occurred on January 17 this year claimed dozens of lives. The incident triggered public outrage, with people slamming the Sindh government and the Karachi mayor for the delayed action.

Reports suggest that the judicial commission set up to probe the Gul Plaza tragedy submitted its report to the Sindh provincial government in April; however, the findings have not been made public for unknown reasons.

Citing official sources, the Pakistani daily Express Tribune reported that the findings highlighted inadequate fire safety arrangements at Gul Plaza as well as several factors that hampered rescue operations.

These reportedly included encroachments around the building, regular traffic congestion on M.A. Jinnah Road, and Green Line project construction work in front of the building -- all of which impeded emergency response operations.

Stressing that the judicial commission's report should be released immediately, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Deputy Parliamentary Leader Taha Ahmed Khan said, "This is not merely a procedural matter but a matter of human lives. People were burned alive, families were destroyed, and those who lost their loved ones have the right to know what happened and who is responsible. Keeping the report confidential creates the impression that the Sindh government failed seriously in preventing the tragedy."

/IANS