Sindh High Court Orders Relocation of Fireworks Factories and Warehouses from MA Jinnah Road Area
Karachi: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has ordered that all fireworks factories and warehouses located in the MA Jinnah Road area be relocated following a deadly explosion at an illegal fireworks storage facility.
The court was hearing a petition filed by the mother of a young man who lost his life in the explosion. The petitioner sought the removal of illegal fireworks warehouses operating in residential and commercial areas.
The Deputy Commissioner (DC) South submitted a detailed report, stating that necessary legal action had been taken after the incident. The court was informed that the initial license for the fireworks shop in the building had been issued in **1971** by the Assistant Commissioner of Karachi Cantonment.
According to the report, the Civil Defence Department had issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) limited to retail operations, allowing storage of only **25–30 kilograms** of fireworks. However, the warehouse had stored a much larger quantity of explosives, resulting in a major explosion that caused significant loss of life and property.
The court was told that all remaining explosive materials had been destroyed with the assistance of the Bomb Disposal Squad, while the DC South had cancelled all existing licenses and NOCs for fireworks shops in the area. The Assistant Commissioner (Saddar) has also written to the CEO of the Karachi Cantonment Board to inspect the structural safety of the affected building.
Advocate Usman Farooq, representing the petitioner, argued that under the law, fireworks factories or storage units cannot be established in residential areas — especially near a government school and densely populated buildings.
After reviewing the report, the SHC ordered that all fireworks factories and warehouses in the area be **immediately relocated** and disposed of the petition accordingly.
The petition stated that the August 21 explosion killed one of the petitioner’s sons and injured another. Despite repeated complaints about the presence of flammable and explosive materials in the area, no preventive action had been taken. The petitioner also noted that the building housed a **medical supplies market**, frequently visited by elderly and ill citizens, making the presence of explosives particularly dangerous.
The plea further requested the formation of a **high-level judicial or fact-finding commission** to identify those responsible and to ensure that all fireworks manufacturing and storage facilities are permanently moved out of populated urban areas.
