Pakistani leaders offer condolences as firefighters battle a major blaze in Karachi.

At least six people have been killed and about 20 injured when a fire tore through a shopping mall in Karachi, Pakistani officials say, as firefighters try to bring the blaze under control.

The fire broke out on Saturday at the Gul Plaza shopping mall, a densely packed commercial complex, and continued to burn for hours. By early Sunday, authorities said crews had managed to control about 30 percent of the fire.

South Deputy Inspector General Syed Asad Raza told the Dawn newspaper that the death toll had risen from an initial three to five. The Edhi Foundation, a medical complex, later confirmed a sixth death in a statement.

Rescue officials said the mall contains roughly 1,200 shops, raising fears that people could still be trapped inside. The Edhi Foundation said part of the building collapsed due to the intensity of the fire, complicating rescue efforts.

Garden subdivision police officer Mohsin Raza said initial findings suggested the fire started due to a short circuit in one of the shops before rapidly spreading throughout the complex.

He said the exact cause must be determined through a detailed investigation and warned that the structure needs to be secured to prevent further damage.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed condolences over the loss of life.

In a statement carried by PTV, Sharif ordered authorities to take “all possible measures” to protect lives and property, provide assistance to affected traders and ensure medical care for the injured.

Zardari urged the government of Sindh province, whose capital is Karachi, to offer “immediate and every possible assistance” and said: “No stone should be left unturned in providing the best medical facilities to the injured.”

Soldiers are on standby for possible deployment to Minneapolis, a US defence official has told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.

The official said the 1,500 soldiers, currently in Alaska, are an option for the US president if he decided to use active duty military personnel, as anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demonstrations continued in the city on Saturday.

No decision has yet been made on whether to deploy the soldiers from Alaska, the official said.

Minnesota officials have urged protesters to stay orderly and peaceful during demonstrations after an ICE agent shot dead US citizen Renee Good earlier this month.

The soldiers are part of the 11th Airborne Division in Fort Wainwright, the official added.

It comes as a US federal judge issued an order limiting the crowd control tactics that can used by ICE agents towards “peaceful and unobstructive” protesters in Minneapolis.

Judge Katherine Menendez earlier ruled that federal agents cannot arrest or pepper spray peaceful demonstrations, including those monitoring or observing ICE agents.

The state’s National Guard has been mobilised and placed on alert by Governor Tim Walz, and other law enforcement officers were deployed to Minneapolis ahead of the anti-ICE demonstrations.

Recent protests in the city were sparked by widespread action by ICE in the city, and follow Good’s death on 7 January.

City leaders said Good was there as a legal observer of ICE activity.

But the Trump administration has called her a “domestic terrorist”.

Good’s death sparked protests across the country, with many people holding signs that read “Justice for Renee”.

The technocratic body will operate under the direction of Trump’s ‘board of peace’, stacked with pro-Israel figures.

The Palestinian committee tasked with overseeing the future administration of Gaza as part of a US-backed ceasefire plan has released what it says is a “mission statement”, laying out its key priorities and goals.

The general commissioner of the National Committee for Gaza Management (NGAC), Ali Shaath, said that the technocratic body would seek to restore core services and cultivate a society “rooted in peace”.

“Under the guidance of the Board of Peace, chaired by [US] President Donald J Trump, and with the support and assistance of the High Representative for Gaza, our mission is to rebuild the Gaza Strip not just in infrastructure but also in spirit,” Shaath said in a statement.

The NGAC was established as part of Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza and authorised under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803. The White House has said it will be concerned with the day-to-day rebuilding and stabilisation of the enclave, “while laying the foundation for long-term, self-sustaining governance”.

Under Trump’s plan, the reconstruction of Gaza would be broadly overseen by a “board of peace” and more closely guided by a “Gaza executive board”.

The NGAC faces enormous challenges. Gaza has been physically destroyed after more than two years of Israel’s genocidal war, and there is widespread scepticism from Palestinians over how much autonomy the body will have.

Those concerns have been compounded by the presence of firm supporters of Israel, and a lack of Palestinians, so far, on the board of peace and the Gaza executive board.

In his statement, Shaath, a former Palestinian Authority (PA) deputy minister, said the body would focus on establishing security control of the Strip, more than half of which remains under direct Israeli control, and restoring basic services destroyed throughout the war.

“We are committed to establishing security, restoring the essential services that form the bedrock of human dignity such as electricity, water, healthcare, and education, as well as cultivating a society rooted in peace, democracy, and justice,” he said.

“Operating with the highest standards of integrity and transparency, the NCAG will forge a productive economy capable of replacing unemployment with opportunity for all.”

In defiance of an existing ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas, Israel has maintained severe restrictions on the entry of aid into Gaza, which UN agencies and humanitarian groups have said is necessary to deliver services to Palestinians.

Hundreds of Palestinians have also been killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza during that period, bringing the death toll to 71,548 since October 7, 2023.

The board of peace was announced as part of phase two of the ceasefire agreement, but letters from Trump inviting foreign leaders to join the body have suggested the US president may see it as a model for bypassing traditional international forums, such as the UN.

In mid-December, Israel announced it was banning more than three dozen international aid organisations from operating in Gaza.

Some Palestinians also worry that the NGAC’s technocratic approach may circumvent key political questions, such as the creation of a future Palestinian state and an end to Israel’s decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territory, in favour of a focus on economic development and outside investment opportunities.

In his statement, Shaath said the committee will “embrace peace, through which we strive to secure the path to true Palestinian rights and self determination”.