Sindh Information Commission Declines RTI Request for Gul Plaza Inquiry Report

The Sindh Information Commission has issued a written decision rejecting a request to make public the judicial commission report on the Gul Plaza tragedy.

The application had been filed by senior Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Dr. Farooq Sattar, who sought the release of the judicial commission report prepared on the Gul Plaza incident.

In its written order, the Sindh Information Commission included the response submitted by the Chief Secretary regarding the request to make the report public.

The decision stated that the inquiry into the Gul Plaza tragedy and the implementation process are still ongoing. It added that the judicial commission report cannot be made public until the investigation into the incident is completed.

The commission initially stated that a detailed written judgment would be issued later. Reacting to the decision, an MQM-P leader said the party would review the detailed judgment from a legal perspective before announcing its future course of action.

The commission later released its detailed written judgment, stating that the investigation into the FIR related to the Gul Plaza tragedy is still underway. It ruled that the report cannot be provided at this stage, adding that once the challan is submitted before the court, the report will become part of the public record.

According to the judgment, MQM-P had requested the Gul Plaza Inquiry Commission report and related records under the Right to Information (RTI) law. The commission held that releasing the judicial report during the ongoing investigation could affect the inquiry.

The Sindh Information Commission rejected the application for the time being, stating that the inquiry report would become a public record after the challan is submitted. It also dismissed MQM-P’s complaint filed under the RTI law.

The judgment further stated that interference in the ongoing investigation of the Gul Plaza case would not be appropriate and that providing the inquiry report during the investigation would be contrary to the law. It added that the Gul Plaza judicial inquiry report will remain confidential for now and will become a public record after the investigation is completed.

It is pertinent to mention that on January 17, 2026, a major fire broke out at Gul Plaza, located on M.A. Jinnah Road in Karachi. The blaze continued for three days, and more than 70 people lost their lives in the incident.