On Monday, the special assistant to the prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) expressed concern that the fire at the well-known Islamabad mall, which is owned by AJK PM Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, may be the result of “political victimisation.”
On Sunday, a fire started in the food court of a well-known shopping centre in Islamabad, but it was swiftly “under control” when rescue workers rushed to the scene.
After the rescue effort was finished, the building was sealed on the deputy commissioner’s orders, according to Islamabad police.
It also stated that the mall’s structure would be sealed off until an investigation into the incident had been completed. The building would still be off limits to the public until then.
The AJK PM’s assistant made the comment in reference to the tension between the federal government and PTI, which is in power in the region. “It is feared that [federal government] is doing political victimisation in light of the political scenario,” he added.
He accused Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of being complicit in the mall fire, saying that the federal government “wants to make it a greater incident than Model Town fire.”
Ali Shan, the food minister for AJK, issued a warning that if the mall is not reopened, they will launch a sit-in.
The minister stated that they have come to show support for the AJK premier and “we don’t want to politicise the subject nor are we doing that.”
The management of the mall chooses to go to court.
In the meantime, the mall’s management has made the decision to file a lawsuit against the district administration for allegedly taking too long to put out the fire. They claimed that the district administration’s equipment was broken.
The administration authorities also said that when they brought attention to the delay in putting out the fire, the district administration behaved in a disparaging manner.
Amir Khawaja, the mall’s general manager, told Geo News that a fire started in the food court’s kitchen but that no one was hurt.
He noted that only a store had been harmed.
Khawaja stated that they would look into the situation and present it to the media. He added that foreign Pakistanis had made investments in this mall using their money.
Since this is a topic that affects how individuals make a living, we don’t want to bring up politics, Khawaja added.
He lamented the removal of the residents of the plaza’s residential sector, which also includes patients, by the district administration.
Registering a case
On behalf of SHO Mateen Chaudhry, a case concerning the fire incident was opened under Section 436 at the Margalla Police Station.
According to the FIR, the unidentified men set fire to the mall for unknown reasons.
It was reported that Tower A was on fire and that rescue crews were working to put it out.
created a committee
Later on Sunday, the Islamabad District Magistrate’s Office published a notification announcing the creation of a fact-finding commission comprised of seven people to determine the cause of the fire.
The committee’s tasks include investigating potential dangers and contributing causes to the spread of the fire as well as testing the effectiveness of the building’s fire alarm system and fire safety equipment.
The amount of the damage will also be determined, and it will be reviewed to see if the management recently conducted any mock exercises.
The committee has three days to fulfil the job.
The committee would be chaired by the additional district magistrate of Islamabad, and its members will include the assistant commissioner for Sector I, the district emergency officer of Rawalpindi, three CDA employees, and any other official who is coopted.