The death toll from the fire that ripped through a Karachi garment factory this week currently stands at 289, making it the largest number of casualties in a single industrial incident in Pakistan's history. Later, a fire at an illegal shoe factory in Lahore killed 25, bringing the total of Pakistani deaths in industrial incidents that day to more than 300. As the country mourns the enormous loss of life, attention is turning to lax labour laws and the culture of corruption that allows the scant regulations that do exist to be flouted.

The facts of the Karachi fire are nightmarish. After the Karachi blaze started, workers were said to be unable to escape because the doors were locked. It is thought that this was to prevent them from leaving their shifts early, though it has also been speculated that it was because of a recent break-in. Allegedly, there was no emergency exit, with other doors blocked by piles of finished clothes, workers had to smash iron bars on the windows to jump several storeys to escape the flames, and unsafe chemicals in the rickety building made the smoke even more toxic. While the cause of the fire has not been confirmed, it has been blamed on faulty wiring. The owner of the factory looks to have gone into hiding. Although Pakistan's constitution guarantees the right to secure and humane working conditions, these twin tragedies have shown this right is meaningless. Ministers have been queuing up to offer their condolences and condemnation, with President Asif Ali Zardari announcing an investigation, and murder charges being filed against the factory owners for their "utter negligence".

But what exactly is the legal protection for workers in Pakistan? The only legislation on health and safety that exists is the Hazardous Occupation Rule 1963, under the 1934 Factories Act. The act also has a whole section, added in 1997, that is concerned with fire safety. Pakistan is a signatory to the International Labour Organisation's labour inspection convention, which commits the government to ensuring that workers are fully informed about their legal rights, and to enabling inspectors to report on problems that aren't covered by existing regulations.

So laws defending workers' rights do exist. But they are rendered redundant by a total failure of implementation. In fact, an executive order issued under the Punjab Industrial Policy 2003 actually abolished labour inspections, with the aim of "developing an industry and business-friendly environment" to attract fresh investment. The ban originated in Punjab (the province that is home to Lahore), and Sindh (where Karachi is situated), appears to have followed suit. Unsurpisingly, it was implemented under pressure from wealthy industrialists.

Pakistan is a country with an enormous gulf between rich and poor, and an undue amount of influence wielded by a small number of industrial families. The country functions on a deeply entrenched web of patronage and vested interests, meaning that there is little interest in workers' rights and little motivation to change the status quo. Corruption exists at every level, from bribing local officials to overlook an illegal building, to influencing government policy. The civilian regime is weak, and according to labour activists, regulation has deteriorated even further in the past few years along with a general decline in governance.

Textiles are big business in Pakistan, a major export that employs 38% of the manufacturing work force and accounted for 7.4% of GDP in 2011. Pakistani cotton is in high demand in neighbouring India, and underpins Pakistan's growing high-end fashion industry. But garment manufacturers claim that in order to compete with cheap products from Vietnam and India, they are forced to cut corners.

Putting profits over worker safety is a universal problem, and can be seen in sweatshops throughout the developing world, including in neighbouring India and Bangladesh. But the scale of this tragedy has shone a light on the lax oversight and flagrant disregard for human life that runs riot in Pakistan.

Authorities overlooking factory standards, building control, and fire safety have failed at every level. Will this disaster lead to lasting change and an end to the culture of impunity for wealthy businessmen? We must hope that the outraged declarations of politicians are not just empty words to be forgotten once compensation has been paid and the media storm dies down.