What could be more painful than men, women and children being burned alive while shopping for weddings and festivities at Gul Plaza? The knowledge that many of those lives could have been saved. Would it have taken billions of rupees? No. Not even a penny from the government — perhaps not even its will.

Nearly two days after the blaze began, Gul Plaza — a bustling, multi-storey market housing more than 1,200 family-run shops — was reduced to ashes. At least 71 people lost their lives. Fifteen others were reported missing, feared dead. It was Karachi's deadliest commercial fire in over a decade.

Survivors recount scenes of horror: locked exits, suffocating corridors, poor ventilation and absolute darkness. When they finally escaped — some by breaking doors, others by forming human chains — they stood outside watching the building burn, waiting for rescue that arrived too late for many.

What makes this tragedy unforgivable is that it was forewarned. Entirely predictable. Reports indicate that Gul Plaza had violated building safety regulations for over ten........

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