The surgical ward of the Darul Sehat Hospital in Gulistan-e-Jauhar was slightly damaged in a fire on Saturday which broke out in mysterious circumstances.
The hospital administration claimed that the fire was not accidental but it had intentionally been caused.
According to the fire brigade department, they received information about the fire at the Darul Sehat Hospital at around 3:53pm but before they could reach the site, the hospital administration had doused the fire themselves. No loss of life was reported in the fire.
“It was not a major fire. Two fire tenders were despatched immediately after the fire information was received but the hospital administration brought it into control themselves,” a spokesperson for the fire brigade said.
The hospital administration said they suspected that the fire had not erupted accidently but someone had caused it.
Speaking about the damage caused by the fire, the administration said the fire slightly damaged the surgical ward located on the third floor of the hospital’s building where two female doctors’ rooms were also located. They added that the flames also partially damaged some machineries and the hospital’s façade.
“A pedestrian bridge is close to the hospital’s building and we suspect that two to three suspects on the bridge threw some material from which the fire broke out,” a senior doctor of the hospital said, requesting anonymity.
“The suspects could belong to a political party which is already running a campaign against the hospital since Nishwa’s incident occurred as it has now become a political issue between two political parties – one that won the elections and the other which lost the elections.”
The fire brigade officials said they were conducting an investigation into the incident to ascertain the actual cause of the fire.
Police officials also visited the hospital to inquire into the incident. “Nothing could be said exactly about the cause of the fire until the investigation is completed,” Sharea Faisal SHO Safdar Mashwani said.
“We are also waiting for the final report of the fire brigade department,” the SHO said. He maintained that the hospital had become a subject of controversy following Nishwa’s incident and that two political parties were involved in the controversy.
“The issue has been politicised now. It is all related to Nishwa’s incident,” the officer said, adding that further investigations were under way.