Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The mysterious flare up in the office of Pakistan Baitul Mal (PBM) and the turning into ashes of the record on the disbursement of financial assistance among the poor and orphan children has left several questions unanswered.

The main query is why the relief work was not carried out and why the fire brigade was called much late to extinguish the blaze.

The mysterious incident folds and unfolds like a serpent’s willowy body emitting a bitterness when it is seen in the perspective of the covert and overt endeavours on the part of the Managing Director (MD) Baitul Mal Abid Waheed Sheikh, who has tried to cover up the matter on one pretext or the other.

The record pertaining to disbursement of financial assistance and stipends to orphans and poor children lying at the 3rd storey of PBM Islamabad office was mysteriously engulfed in the blaze and a large number of files, computers and furniture was reduced to ashes.

The blaze is said to be caused by short circuiting. This was the child support programme office. Sources said that the MD PBM had summoned the record pertaining to the child support programme office.

He had directed for being provided with information on the assistance that had been extended to orphans and poor children. He also wanted to know as to how much funds and goods were left with the office due to which the staff of the child support programme was being held responsible for
the fire.

The blaze was not that immense that it could not be overcome when it flared up early in the morning on Monday. Had the staff members tried on their own they could have controlled the flames.

But the staff played the role of a glum spectator and when the fire brigade was called then everything had been reduced
to rubble.

The MD PBM while expressing his resentment on the staff members constituted an inquiry committee to probe into the incident.

Covering up the matter MD PBM told journalists during a news conference that no such incident had occurred before. The record had caught fire due to short circuit.

As a result of this fire, the record of all the orphan children preserved in the computers has been effaced and no statistics are left with the office in connection with the details of the financial assistance for children.

The recipients of the assistance who had come from the remotest areas of the country for receiving assistance have been expelled from the office even though the fire had flared up only in one corner of
the building.

Remonstrating and protesting over their forced expulsion from the office the affected people said:”We have come from far off areas of the country and we are being pressurised to go back to our homes.We cannot come here on every third day.”