Stalls are brimming with colourful clothes, shoes, bags, and sparkling jewellery, drawing crowds of women and girls eager to kick off their Eid shopping. From the first hour, the market buzzed with activity, with shoppers filling the lanes well into the night.
“The Gul Plaza blaze was a huge tragedy in which several people were killed and injured. The fire destroyed the businesses of many shopkeepers,” Ghaus Memon, the organiser of the temporary market, said while talking to The Express Tribune.
“Gul Plaza had been one of Karachi’s major shopping centres. After the tragedy, City Mayor Murtaza Wahab, in consultation with Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, approved the establishment of a temporary bazaar at Bagh-e-Jinnah to help affected traders,” he added.
The temporary market is now operational with 350 stalls, more than 200 of which have already been set up. Affected shopkeepers have established outlets selling ready-made garments for men, women, and children, as well as shoes, slippers, artificial jewellery, makeup items, bags, and various products used by women.
The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation has provided these stalls free of charge to the traders. The market will remain open until Chand Raat.
Memon said the purpose of establishing the market was to temporarily restore the livelihoods of shopkeepers so they could sell goods during Ramazan and earn some income. He added that the number of visitors is gradually increasing, with people arriving for shopping from both upscale areas and other localities late into the night. “The market also offers parking, security, food stalls, and other facilities, with women and young girls making up the majority of shoppers,” he said.
Muhammad Madni, a trader who previously ran a garments shop at Gul Plaza, said he was in the basement on the day the fire broke out and survived the incident. He expressed gratitude to Mayor Wahab for establishing the temporary market.