Business
Karachi’s fires are not accidents
Fire accidents in Karachi are not new, yet we treat each incident as an isolated tragedy rather than a symptom of systemic infrastructure failure. The Gul Plaza fire, which led to a structural collapse, tragic loss of life, and huge financial losses to the economic system, is just another accident to join the list of disasters such as Bolton Market, Cooperative Market, Timber Market, etc, and many more.
The poor emergency response, lack of institutional capacity, non-existent safety measures for fire workers, and, most importantly, the absence of enforced fire safety standards in buildings were brought to the attention of the entire city, as Gul Plaza was a market visited by all segments of society.
The heart of this problem lies in the dangerous balance between building use and building capacity. Buildings that were designed decades ago for limited commercial activity are now used as high-traffic shopping malls with shops, warehouses, eateries, and vehicular parking. The electrical systems are overloaded, escape routes are blocked, staircases are narrowed by encroachment, and firefighting is nearly impossible in these buildings due to congestion.
Cities in developing nations face similar problems, such as aging infrastructure, informality in development, and rapid urbanisation, but have learned from their mistakes and demonstrated that fire safety can be improved on an ad hoc basis as well. For example, in Brazil, nightclub and high-rise fires prompted the government to implement regulatory reforms to strengthen evacuation procedures and fire safety audits, contributing to safer buildings.
Real resilience will only come in the form of active preventive measures to ensure the safety of our homes and workplaces
Similarly, Argentina’s adoption of international fire codes aligned with local testing standards for alarms, exits, and suppression systems is another example from the developing world. In Singapore, the country’s strict fire safety regime is ensured through routine inspections, certifications, and public accountability. This has led to a measurable reduction in fire incidents across residential and industrial zones.
Moreover, Indonesia has a national-provincial partnership in this regard, which has resulted in a major decline in commercial fires. These instances clearly indicate that progress does not depend on wealth but on good governance, prioritisation, and strict enforcement.
By contrast, Karachi continues to host a varied stock of unsafe buildings that are still occupied despite lacking any fire safety provisions. This is very clear in the congested markets, where buildings serve as pseudo-malls for the middle class. Areas such as Saddar, Tariq Road, Hyderi market, Liaquatabad, and Karimabad are visited by thousands of shoppers daily, in buildings and streets not designed for such heavy usage, not to mention the lack of accessibility for a fire truck.
Narrow stairwells, sealed shopfronts, grilled openings, illegal mezzanines, and locked exits are common. These markets are now used like high-end modern malls but lack modern safety compliance regimes or systems built into the design of new malls, and a small electric spark can escalate into a mass-casualty event.
While the fire safety infrastructure on the city level is the state’s responsibility, occupants need to look out for themselves. We hire security guards for our homes, shops, and streets, despite there being police stations and chowkis in every area. Unfortunately, this is just another aspect of urban life that we need to control on our own.
Karachi’s citizens are opening their hearts and wallets for the affectees of the recent tragedy, which is being labelled as a display of resilience, but real resilience will only come in the form of active preventive measures to ensure the safety of our homes and workplaces.
Warning signs are very clear; too many bunched-up exposed wiring, illegal connections or kundas, absence of alarms or smoke detectors, poor ventilation, fixed grilles in openings, unsafe storage for flammable materials, lack of fire-extinguishers, blocked exits with illegal commercial encroachment, and poor ventilation are very common sightings in a regular market for Karachi’s middle class.
Retrofitting the buildings for fire safety does not always involve structural intervention. Existing buildings must also be encouraged to add external or internal fire-exit staircases as retrofitted features that exit on the pavement, and these escape routes should be foldable or well-integrated in the street design, not treated as violations or as an afterthought, but should serve the building and the city.
Along with fire-resistant doors on staircases, emergency lighting, and clear signage, these measures can significantly improve human safety in the event of a fire. In congested markets and apartment blocks, corridors should be cleared, spaces should be compartmentalised to slow fire spread, existing stairwells should be enclosed, and fire drills should be conducted regularly in markets, schools, and even large apartment complexes.
Market associations need to enforce this as a mandatory activity, as they can differentiate between safe escape and fatal entrapment. Security measures to deter theft often create fatal bottlenecks, fixed grilles on windows, staircase openings, and side entrances block escape routes and trap occupants inside. While grilles are necessary to prevent theft and burglary, they should have quick-release mechanisms and collapsible systems that preserve life safety while ensuring security.
While individual residents and shopkeepers lack resources for meaningful upgrades, pooled private investment can support shared alarm systems, professional audits, and basic firefighting infrastructure. However, this ‘apni madad aap’ cannot substitute the role of the government, which continues to give excuses.
The writer is an architect and an urban planner currently leading her own practise, “Beyond Facades”.
Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, January 25th, 2026
KARACHI: Urea sales are expected to clock in at 218,000 tonnes in January, a 75-month low and down by 84 per cent month-on-month and 51pc year-on-year.
Topline Securities, in its report on Monday, noted that the sharp slowdown follows advance purchases in December 2025, driven by higher manufacturer discounts, which pushed December 2025 sales to an all-time high of 1.36 million tonnes.
Discounts offered by select manufacturers decreased in January, with Engro Fertilisers Ltd offering Rs100-150 per bag, down from Rs400 in December 2025, while Fauji Fertiliser Company did not offer any discounts in January after offering Rs150-200 per bag in December 2025.
The closing inventory of urea is expected to be around 0.63m tonnes in January, up from 0.32m tonnes in December 2025. The inventory rise reflects normalisation after an exceptionally strong December 2025, as discounts were rolled back, seasonal Rabi demand tapered, and production remained steady, leading to an inventory build-up.
Company-wise, Fatima Group holds the highest inventory of 220,000 tonnes, followed by Engro Fertilisers of 264,000 tonnes, and Fauji Fertiliser Company (FFC) of 90,000 tonnes.
Among the companies, Engro Fertiliser is anticipated to record a massive 96pc month-on-month and 77pc year-on-year decrease in urea sales to 24,000 tonnes in January. While Fauji Fertiliser is expected to record urea sales of 175,000 tonnes, down 54pc month-on-month and 10pc year-on-year, followed by Fatima Fertiliser of 7,000 tonnes, down 97pc month-on-month and 93pc year-on-year, in January.
Total DAP (Diammonium Phosphate) sales in January is likely to be at 34,000 tonnes, down 58pc month-on-month and 45pc year-on-year.
Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Uzbekistan resolved on Monday to expand the scope of their Preferential Trade Agreement to increase their trade beyond $2 billion in two years — from around $450 million last year —and to deepen cooperation in various economic fields.
At a meeting of the Pak-Uzbek Intergovernmental Commission (IGC), the two sides agreed to more than double the list of items for bilateral trade from 17 at present. The two sides had signed the agreement in March 2022 and it came into effect in 2023.
The 10th IGC on Trade, Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation was co-chaired by Haroon Akhtar Khan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Industries and Production, and Uzbekistan’s Trade Minister Laziz Kudratov.
“The engagement enabled a comprehensive review of bilateral relations and established a forward-looking roadmap to strengthen joint efforts in major economic and social sectors”, a joint statement said.
The parties welcomed the progress on Phase II concessions of the Preferential Trade Agreement, the statement added.
The two sides “agreed to expedite institutional mechanisms to achieve the agreed target of $2bn in bilateral trade”.
Both sides expressed satisfaction over the steady progress achieved since the previous IGC session last year and reaffirmed their resolve to expand bilateral trade, investment, and economic engagement.
Emphasis was placed on trade facilitation, improved logistics, customs digitalisation, transit trade cooperation, development of regional trade corridors, and enhanced business-to-business engagement, supported by improved visa facilitation for business communities.
The two sides also agreed to establish a joint working group on labour relations, tasked with addressing labour mobility, skills development, workplace safety, and practical considerations linked to employment visas.
Transport and communications
In transport and communications sector, the commission welcomed interest in launching direct air services, reviewed progress on regional railway and connectivity projects, and agreed to advance alternative transport corridors to improve regional trade and transit connectivity.
Cooperation in agriculture and food security featured prominently, with both sides welcoming progress on phytosanitary protocols facilitating the export of fruits from Uzbekistan to Pakistan.
The parties agreed to expand collaboration through additional protocols, joint working groups, and technical cooperation in plant protection, livestock development, and agricultural research, with a shared focus on food security and sustainable agricultural growth.
In higher education, science, and technology, the commission welcomed progress on academic and research partnerships between leading institutions of the two countries.
Both sides agreed to promote joint research, faculty and student exchanges, vocational and technical training, innovation, and capacity building, supported by newly signed agreements in scientific, technical, and innovation fields to strengthen long-term knowledge cooperation and human capital development.
Environmental and climate cooperation was recognised as a shared priority, with both sides agreeing to collaborate on climate resilience, protection of glacial ecosystems, sustainable water management, environmental governance, gender-inclusive climate action, and community-based adaptation approaches.
Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2026
LONDON: Oil and gold prices fell as concerns eased over US monetary policy and the chances of an American attack on Iran, while stock markets pushed higher.
Both main crude oil contracts shed around five per cent on easing US-Iran tensions. The Brent North Sea crude fell 4.9 per cent to $65.51 per barrel while the West Texas Intermediate shed 5.2pc to $61.81 per barrel.
“The trigger for the sharp reversal were comments from President Trump suggesting an easing of tensions with Iran,” said Trade Nation analyst David Morrison. “This reduced fears of an immediate supply shock,” he added.
Washington has hit out at the country’s leadership in recent weeks over its deadly response to anti-government protests, with Trump threatening military action.
He has also pushed for an agreement over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Gold, which has benefitted from safe haven trading when geopolitical tensions mount as well as the lower value of the US dollars, continued its slide lower.
It shed 0.7 percent to $4,710 an ounce, well below the record highs above $5,500 it hit last week.
“Many investors bought gold and silver as protection against the volatile geopolitical backdrop, yet they’ve learned the hard way these assets can also be volatile themselves,” said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
It also took a hit on news that US President Donald Trump had chosen Kevin Warsh to become new head of the US Federal Reserve.
Traders regard Warsh, a former Morgan Stanley investment banker and Fed governor, as the toughest inflation fighter among the final candidates, raising expectations that his monetary policy would underpin the greenback.
The choice also eased concerns about the Fed’s independence following a series of attacks on incumbent Jerome Powell over his reticence to cut rates as quickly as the president wanted.
Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2026
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