Flammable evidence: FIA formally asked to probe estate office fire, says minister

Earlier, an internal probe found evidence of arson, office staff involvement.

ISLAMABAD:

The housing ministry on Tuesday formally requested the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to probe a fire that broke out in its estate office.

Important estate office records were reduced to ashes after a fire broke out in the office, situated on the ninth floor of Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat in Blue Area on March 2, 2014, while the building was closed for the weekend.

“Minister of State for Housing and Works Barrister Usman Ibrahim has asked FIA to investigate the fire incident in the estate office,” said a statement issued by the estate office.

The minister asked the FIA to constitute a three-member team to probe the matter.

Due to the fire, important record related to government accommodations and offices were lost, along with furniture and fixtures, electrical wiring, ceilings and partitioning walls in the office. A first information report was also lodged at the Kohsar Police Station.

Following the fire incident, a five-member fact-finding committee headed by housing ministry deputy chief Tariq Faheem Sheikh was formed to probe the matter, which it completed on April 11. The committee submitted its findings with the ministry and concluded that the fire was a deliberate act of arson to destroy records and files relating to illegal allotment.

The committee report noted that some of the estate office employees were likely to be involved. The estate office building was also damaged by a fire in 2007, which caused an estimated loss of Rs19.7 million. This time, the committee has estimated, a loss of about Rs4.5 million.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2014.