KARACHI: The government, private sector and civil society must join hands to establish a comprehensive fire safety culture across Pakistan, particularly in Karachi, where recurring fire incidents continue to claim lives and cause substantial material losses due to inadequate preparedness, weak enforcement and lack of emergency training.
This was emphasised by office-bearers of the Fire Protection Industry of Pakistan (FPIP), National Forum for Environment & Health (NFEH) and Justice Helpline at a joint press conference on corrective fire safety measures in urban areas. They called for an immediate overhaul of the existing fire safety system through strict enforcement of regulations, regular inspections, mandatory training and emergency drills, installation of modern detection and protection equipment, and accountability of officials and building owners responsible for preventable safety failures.
FPIP President Dr Muhammad Imran Taj said fire safety equipment alone could not save lives unless people were properly trained to use it. He urged government agencies, relevant authorities and civil society organisations to ensure that institutions and households had both appropriate safety equipment and the knowledge required to respond during the critical period before professional firefighting and rescue teams arrived.
He stressed that fire safety education should begin at an early age, particularly in schools and colleges, where students should regularly participate in fire emergency and evacuation drills. Teachers and non-teaching staff should also receive proper training to respond quickly and responsibly during emergencies.
Dr Taj said similar training should be provided to industrial workers, retailers, bank employees, government personnel, shopping-centre and high-rise building management staff, and security guards, who are often the first to confront emergencies in commercial and public buildings.
He also called for widespread installation of smoke detectors and early-warning systems, noting that the recent tragedy at PIMS Islamabad demonstrated how rapidly smoke inhalation could turn a fire into a mass-casualty incident.
“We need an ocean of knowledge to extinguish the fires we encounter frequently,” Dr Taj remarked, stressing the need for coordinated efforts to develop a society capable of responding effectively to fire emergencies.
NFEH President Naeem Qureshi expressed grave concern over the lack of sustained enforcement and accountability despite repeated deadly fire incidents in Karachi. He said government and administrative officials responsible for enforcing fire safety regulations could not escape responsibility when buildings under their jurisdiction lacked adequate protection.
He noted that deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners were often directed to inspect fire safety arrangements in commercial and high-rise buildings after major incidents, but such inspection drives usually lost momentum within months and failed to bring about lasting improvements.
Qureshi said Karachi witnessed 2,187 fire incidents in 2024, while the number increased by more than 1,000 in 2025. He added that 240 fire incidents were reported in Karachi during the first few months of 2026, resulting in 99 deaths.
He demanded that officials responsible for enforcing fire safety regulations be held accountable for preventable deaths, arguing that the state must provide answers to families who lose loved ones in urban fire disasters.
Qureshi also called for the formation of a dedicated committee comprising lawmakers, public representatives and fire safety experts to conduct comprehensive fire safety audits and monitor implementation of corrective measures. Such audits, he stressed, should become a permanent monitoring and enforcement mechanism rather than temporary exercises following major tragedies.
Justice Helpline President Nadeem Shaikh Advocate said it was deeply alarming that the Fire Safety Provisions-2016, notified under the Building Code of Pakistan, had still not been effectively enforced despite the passage of almost a decade.
He said private security guards deployed at commercial buildings, shopping centres, banks and offices were frequently expected to respond to emergencies without receiving adequate fire safety and evacuation training. He demanded mandatory training for such personnel so they could take immediate action, protect occupants and facilitate evacuation before professional rescue teams arrived.
Shaikh further stressed that assistant commissioners, as representatives of district administrations, should receive specialised training to properly assess fire protection arrangements and identify safety deficiencies in commercial and high-rise buildings.
He also called for compulsory fire emergency and rescue drills in educational institutions, saying students should be trained to raise alarms, evacuate safely and assist people in distress without putting their own lives at risk.
NFEH Vice-President Nadeem Ashraf highlighted the urgent need to address electrical hazards, which he said were among the major causes of devastating urban fires. He noted that relatively modest investment in circuit breakers and other essential electrical safety devices could significantly reduce the risk of fires caused by short circuits, electrical overloading and poor-quality wiring.
The three organisations stressed that Pakistan could no longer afford to respond to fire disasters only after lives had been lost. They demanded a permanent and enforceable fire safety regime based on prevention, regular audits, modern detection systems, mandatory training, emergency drills and strict accountability.
They warned that failure to act would continue to expose millions of citizens to avoidable risks in homes, schools, workplaces, commercial centres and high-rise buildings.
The organisations urged the government to immediately bring all relevant institutions and stakeholders onto a single platform and launch a sustained national campaign to make fire prevention and emergency preparedness an integral part of everyday life.
Zulfiqar Shah and Advocate Saleem Michael also spoke on the occasion.
