Gul Plaza fire: shop owners seek public support, turn to Facebook, Instagram for business

WEB DESK: In the wake of one of the deadliest fires in Karachi, many business owners who owned shops in Gul Plaza are reaching out to the citizens for support to revive their work. More than 1000 shops were gutted when Gul Plaza, a shopping hub for crockery, luggage, houseware, apparel and a lot more, caught fire on Saturday night, engulfing the entire building.

Four days after the incident, as families try to find their loved ones, shopkeepers who managed to make it out alive are trying to get back on their feet by reaching out to the residents and exploring platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

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Many influencers also urged to make a repository which can connect the buyers to the sellers through online pages, while others are also trying to set up funds.

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Multiple grounds on Facebook as well as posts on LinkedIn are openly reaching out as children of those shop owners are creating pages as well.

While some shops already had an online presence, Gul Plaza was popular for customers coming in-person for the experience because of the variety it offered, an aspect which is often missing online.

Celebrities also rushed to offer support, using their platform to amplify the voices.