An 11-year-old boy has been named as an accused in a chargesheet filed by Pakistani police in the massive fire that broke out at the Gul Plaza shopping center in Karachi, which killed 72 people in January. The minor, along with his father and four members of the shopping complex’s management committee, will face trial in connection with Pakistan’s worst commercial building fire.On 17 January, a fire broke out at Gul Plaza, a shopping complex on MA Jinnah Road in Karachi. The fire killed 72 people, injured eight others and destroyed 1,153 shops. It took almost a week for firefighters and rescue teams to completely extinguish the fire.According to the charge sheet filed in the court on Saturday, the 11-year-old boy, identified as Huzaifa, was managing his father’s artificial flower shop in his absence when the fire allegedly broke out while he was playing with a matchstick.District prosecutor Abdul Razzaq Gujjar said the boy would be tried along with other accused named in the charge sheet.The other accused include Huzaifa’s father Naimatullah and Gul Plaza management committee members Tanveer Pasta, Amar Ismail, Muhammad Ramzan and Muhammad Amin. All six accused are reportedly absconding after the fire incident.The investigating officer has listed 42 prosecution witnesses in the case.According to the charge sheet, one of the key witnesses, a 13-year-old boy named Aryan, told the judicial magistrate that he was present at the shop when Huzaifa was playing with matchsticks and suddenly the fire broke out.This statement was reportedly confirmed by two other eyewitnesses, Mohammed Talha and Hamza Amir, who alleged that Huzaifa’s father regularly allowed his underage son to be alone at the shop and manage its operations.The investigators also cited call data records, which showed that Naimatullah was not present at the shop at the time of the fire.The chargesheet accused Gul Plaza management committee members of negligence, alleging that they failed to enforce safety rules or prevent the shop from operating under the age of 10.According to the investigation, the building lacked adequate fire safety measures. The report said exit points were closed or blocked, there were inadequate fire extinguishers, no fire hydrant system was installed and the building lacked emergency backup lighting.These deficiencies contributed to the disaster after power to the building was cut off, which left the complex in darkness as the fire spread rapidly, investigators said.The chargesheet also alleged that the committee members failed to immediately alert the fire department and rescue services. Call data records reportedly showed that no immediate emergency calls were made during the critical initial stages of the fire.Juvenile proceedings against Huzaifa will be conducted before a juvenile court in accordance with Pakistan’s legal provisions for minors, officials said.The remaining accused have been charged under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, including reckless conduct in relation to fire or inflammable material, murder, causing hurt through rash or negligent acts, mischief by fire with intent to destroy property and common intent.The charge sheet was filed despite earlier objections from prosecutors, who had directed the investigating officer to incorporate the findings of a judicial commission and a joint investigation team (JIT) constituted by the Sindh government. According to local media reports, those findings have not yet been included in the case records and are expected to be presented separately.(With inputs from PTI)