A mild fire that broke out inside the parliament building on Tuesday evening damaged few offices and reportedly burnt some important secretariat record, officials said. The fire destroyed part of the building's fourth flour where the offices of the National Assembly's Services Record Branch and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) were located.
The PAC is a parliamentary corruption watchdog. It reviews audit of various government ministries and departments. The record of several recent decisions from the committee has reportedly burnt.
A thin smoke was coming out of the windows when media persons entered the building some half-an-hour after the fire erupted. Fire fighters took around an hour to bring it down completely. They entered the building through windows after breaking pans.
Staffers from the capital fire brigade were seen working without wearing masks or other protections. Those inside the building were shouting to establish communication with their colleagues on the ground. One of them lost conscience due to suffocation in a smoky environment. Identified as Ashraf, he was taken to the hospital.
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Yaqoob and some ministers reached the parliament house immediately. State minister for Interior Zafar Iqbal Warriach told media that causes of fire were not known. He denied any sabotage act behind the incident. He said that an inquiry would be conducted in to the incident. The parliament security staff said no body was around the area where fire erupted.
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