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An 11-year-old boy is set to stand trial in Pakistan for igniting a fire at Karachi's Gul Plaza Shopping Centre on January 17, resulting in a tragedy that killed 72 people.
Dawn News reported that a charge sheet was filed in court on Saturday (July 4) by the investigating officer handling the case.
According to the charge sheet, Huzaifa, 11, accidentally ignited the blaze while playing with matchsticks at his father's shop, which sells artificial flowers.
His father, Naimatullah, has also been named as an accused for allegedly leaving his underage son in charge of the store frequently, as he had done on that fateful day.
The prosecution has also named four members of the Gul Plaza Management Committee - Tanveer Pasta, Amar Ismail, Muhammad Ramazan and Muhammad Ameen - as accused, stating that their negligence in enforcing proper fire safety and allowing underage children to operate stores amounted to manslaughter.
The investigating officer alleged that there were insufficient fire extinguishers and safety equipment, no installed fire hydrant system, and no emergency backup lights once the electricity was disconnected after the fire broke out.
The management committee members also allegedly failed to call the fire brigade or other emergency services, displaying severe negligence.
All six accused are currently absconding, according to authorities.
In total, 72 people lost their lives, eight sustained injuries and 1,153 shops were gutted in the devastating fire.
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