Sindh Suspends Building Chief, Orders Demolition of 588 Unsafe Karachi Structures

The Sindh government has suspended Sindh Building Control Authority Director General Muhammad Ishaque Khuhro and ordered a police investigation after a five-storey apartment block collapsed in Karachi’s Lyari district last week, killing 27 residents. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed officials to submit a fact-finding report within two days and promised “ruthless action” against those found responsible for regulatory lapses. At a separate press conference, provincial ministers Sharjeel Inam Memon and Saeed Ghani said authorities had declared 588 structures in Karachi and 740 across Sindh as dangerously dilapidated. Committees led by district commissioners will complete detailed surveys within two weeks, after which the identified buildings will be demolished. The government is also preparing amendments to tighten the province’s building-control law and penalise illegal construction. Families of the victims will receive Rs1 million ($3,600) each in compensation, while additional assistance has been promised once the inquiry determines individual liabilities. Building collapses are common in Pakistan’s largest city because of lax enforcement and unregulated urban growth; officials said the latest measures aim to avert further tragedies.