ISLAMABAD, Nov 13: The English department of National University of Modern Languages (NUML) has received a letter containing suspected anthrax powder, sources told Dawn on Tuesday.

This is the first incident in which an educational institution received the anthrax threat in the country. The incident is also unique as NUML is an institution directly administered by the armed forces. The rector of the university is a serving brigadier and a large number of serving officers of all three armed forces learn various languages in the university.

The letter was addressed to Robina Kamran, the head of the English department. When she opened the brown-coloured envelope, she found the suspected powder in it. Ms Robina informed the university administration about it, which contacted the police. Ms Robina was taken to a hospital for tests and the powder has been sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH).

Army officials also reached the university after receiving the information.

The latest incident was reported a day after the federal health minister, Dr Abdul Malik Kasi, announced in a press conference that not even a single positive anthrax case had been found in the country. — Zahra Syed