Karachi, 26-Jan-2026 (PPI): Online marketplace Daraz Pakistan has announced a comprehensive relief programme for entrepreneurs affected by the recent catastrophic fire at Gul Plaza, a major commercial centre in the city.
The initiative, launched under the company’s social impact arm, Daraz Cares, aims to help businesses devastated by the blaze regain stability and resume operations. The support package is designed to provide immediate relief and sustained assistance over the next three months.
As part of the scheme, the e-commerce platform will introduce a dedicated segment on its app and website to feature the affected vendors, allowing customers nationwide to identify and support them. The company will also facilitate a streamlined onboarding process and provide targeted training to help merchants restart their businesses online.
To address urgent logistical hurdles, the firm is offering warehouse space for inventory storage and will provide subsidised delivery services. Furthermore, affected sellers will receive free on-site and digital marketing support, leveraging the platform’s own assets to enhance their visibility and rebuild sales momentum.
A dedicated three-month incubation track will offer hands-on guidance to help the businesses stabilise. This period of intensive support is timed to assist vendors in recovering through the commercially significant Ramadan and Eid season.
Ehsan Saya, Managing Director of Daraz Pakistan, commented on the tragedy’s impact. “Gul Plaza has never been just a marketplace; it has been a place of livelihoods, relationships, and decades of hard work,” he said. “What has happened is heartbreaking. Our focus now is to stand with these entrepreneurs in a way that is practical and compassionate, and to use the reach of Daraz and our wider ecosystem to help them rebuild and move forward.”
Gul Plaza has long been a vital hub for commerce in Karachi, closely linked to a wide network of entrepreneurs within the Daraz ecosystem. The marketplace supplied goods for numerous direct, indirect, and home-based sellers across the country, and the incident has placed immense strain on the livelihoods of many families.
Daraz Pakistan is encouraging sellers who suffered losses in the incident to register for assistance via a dedicated online form or their usual seller support channels. The company stated its thoughts remain with everyone affected by the tragedy.