{"id":5064,"date":"2025-07-08T11:51:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T11:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesgroup.com.pk\/?page_id=5064"},"modified":"2025-07-17T11:05:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T11:05:17","slug":"blog","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/timesgroup.com.pk\/?page_id=5064","title":{"rendered":"Rebuilding safely"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"5064\" class=\"elementor elementor-5064\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-06c34f6 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"06c34f6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-45c7081 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image-gallery\" data-id=\"45c7081\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image-gallery.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div 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https:\/\/timesgroup.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-07-08-at-5.38.13-AM-100x100.jpeg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-93c4f2b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"93c4f2b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h6 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><span style=\"font-size:24.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:\n&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif\">Rebuilding Safely: A Call for Community-Led Safeguards\nAfter the Millennium Mall Fire<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 1.11111rem;\"><\/span><\/p><i><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">By Sajid Ali Abbasi, Founder &amp; Group CEO \u2013 Times Group<\/span><\/i><\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9e0274c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9e0274c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t        <div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\"><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">In the early morning hours of June 18th, 2025, a short circuit ignited a devastating fire at Karachi\u2019s Millennium Mall. Over 250 shops were destroyed, with hundreds more affected. Livelihoods were lost. Families were shattered. And yet\u2014this tragedy was preventable.<\/span><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">Outdated safety systems, limited emergency exits, and poor design turned a manageable emergency into a catastrophe. As a nation, we must now ask ourselves: Are we building for beauty, or for life?<\/span><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">What Must Change?<\/span><\/strong><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">1. Safety Must Be the Core Priority<\/span><\/strong><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">Combustible materials and aesthetic shortcuts can no longer take precedence over structural safety. Architecture must serve people, not just appearances.<\/span><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">2. Fire Systems Must Be Standardized<\/span><\/strong><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">Sprinklers, hydrants, emergency lighting, and exit signage must be installed and tested before occupancy, not as an afterthought. Functioning systems save lives.<\/span><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">3. Community Oversight Is Non-Negotiable<\/span><\/strong><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">Negligent practices; like welding near flammable materials or blocked exits\u2014thrive in silence. We need civic watchdogs, trained volunteers, and transparent third-party inspections to ensure accountability at all levels.<\/span><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">\u00a0<\/span><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">Rebuilding with Responsibility:<\/span><\/strong><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">This is not just a construction issue. It\u2019s a national wake-up call for all stakeholders, builders, regulators, city planners, and citizens.<\/span><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">We must build differently. Lead differently. Prioritize differently.<\/span><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">Let\u2019s Invest In:<\/span><\/strong><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">Public fire awareness and evacuation education<\/span><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">Independent safety audits for high-traffic buildings<\/span><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">Infrastructure funding in risk-prone urban zones<\/span><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">\u00a0<\/span><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">A Call to the Heart:<\/span><\/strong><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">Let this fire ignite a culture of responsibility, where every building becomes a place of safety\u2014not a source of risk. If we fail to learn from this, we fail the next generation.<\/span><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">\u201cProgress without protection is not progress at all\u2014it\u2019s a broken promise.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><i style=\"letter-spacing: 0.2px; font-size: 1rem;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u2014 Sajid Ali Abbasi<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/div>\n        \t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ada3e55 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"ada3e55\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b6d7ccc e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"b6d7ccc\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-326482d e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"326482d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-477ced8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"477ced8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rebuilding Safely: A Call for Community-Led Safeguards After the Millennium Mall Fire By Sajid Ali Abbasi, Founder &amp; Group CEO \u2013 Times Group \u00a0In the early morning hours of June 18th, 2025, a short circuit ignited a devastating fire at Karachi\u2019s Millennium Mall. Over 250 shops were destroyed, with hundreds more affected. Livelihoods were lost. &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/timesgroup.com.pk\/?page_id=5064\" class=\"more-link\">Read More <i class=\"opal-icon-long-arrow-right\"><\/i><span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Rebuilding safely&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-elementor.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5064","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesgroup.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesgroup.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesgroup.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesgroup.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesgroup.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5064"}],"version-history":[{"count":65,"href":"https:\/\/timesgroup.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5265,"href":"https:\/\/timesgroup.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5064\/revisions\/5265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesgroup.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}