Fire destroys records at Karachi Income Tax Office

E-Paper | March 18, 2026

KARACHI: A fire on the eighth and fourth floors of the Income Tax Office adjacent to the Sindh Secretariat destroyed numerous records Monday morning.

A reporter speaking to DawnNews said that the fire which broke out in the canteen on the eighth floor spread to the fourth floor, but bypassed the fifth, sixth and seventh floors completely.

Soon after the incident, the Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue Hafiz Muhammad Ali claimed that no important documents were lost in the fire. However, according to eyewitness reports, a significant number of documents and records on the affected floors were destroyed by the fire.

The fire was intense and spread quickly, causing significant material loss.

Officials confirming the loss told APP that the fire was brought under control due to the timely arrival of fire engines. No injuries or casualties were registered as staff attendance was thin.

This is the third fire in Karachi reported this year. Earlier in 2015, fires broke out in Karachi’s furniture market and in the emergency ward of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

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Dwaraka Nath

Mar 09, 2015 02:51pm

Many politicians and black money holders are safe now !

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Ahmed USA

Mar 09, 2015 03:02pm

Ironical... Why in the world only Tax and Account offices catches fire...

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Talha

Mar 09, 2015 03:05pm

And that's all for today folks.

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Zak

Mar 09, 2015 03:27pm

Where are the duplicate records of these documents and why are they not loaded onto hard drive. Clean out the corrupt tax office. They harm pakistan.

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Zak

Mar 09, 2015 03:27pm

The courts should make sure their files are safe.

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Justice

Mar 09, 2015 03:29pm

How many Karachi politicans will claim that their records have been destroyed and are therefore be immuned to prosecution for corruption? Pakistani policitians are known for their crafty behaviour. How many Pakistani leaders prosecuted and jailed so far? NIL

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Zedan

Mar 09, 2015 03:33pm

Why it doesn't happen in private offices? Everyone can simply understand that it is a case of tax evasion by any powerful tax evader.

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Farrukh

Mar 09, 2015 03:52pm

A job well done.

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Vasan

Mar 09, 2015 04:15pm

So, all politicians can settle in London now! :)

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Sher khan

Mar 09, 2015 04:18pm

And that was that.

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Blister

Mar 09, 2015 04:23pm

See the problem with these fires is that they eat up the poor but they only eat the tax records of the rich and corrupt. What a naiko-kar and humble fire....its decided to spare 4 floors after the canteen. This is really a miracle. You know...similar to the miracles that happen in the baldia fire, timber market fire, LDA lahore fire....and the list goes on.

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faisal

Mar 09, 2015 04:28pm

Shouldn't we launch an operation against this terrorism? The very elite class either don't pay tax, and if they pay pity amount, they burns the whole record ...

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Amer RAO - Toronto

Mar 09, 2015 04:37pm

Its normal and very old style in Pakistan.

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khob

Mar 09, 2015 04:39pm

At least the staff's 'thin attendance' had some positive outcome. It saved their lives.

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Mar 09, 2015 04:55pm

Interestingly the fire broke out on 8th floor and then on 4th floor. Generally the fire goes up, I wonder why nothing happened to the floors between 4 and 8th :-)

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khanm

Mar 09, 2015 04:59pm

@Dwaraka Nath They have seen safe since the inception of Pakistan...Cos the country was made for them and not for the general public...

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khanm

Mar 09, 2015 05:04pm

@Ahmed USA ... Cos it is easy to burn and are not even secured in fire proof rooms.Sometimes God will deliver you from the fire, and other times God will make you fireproof. in this day and age why those records are not being digitized...

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Usman Dawood

Mar 09, 2015 05:05pm

A post-accident inquiry is definitely needed to find out the source of fire ignition. If it started in canteen, then we can see the standard of fire safety being followed. Plus how is it possible that fire spread from the 8th floor and reached the 4th without causing any damages to the floors in between. Looks like it was "carried down" to the particular floor. Fires cant magically pop from one floor to other with fulfilling the Fire Tetrahedron rule, i.e. ignition source, temperature, oxygen and chemical reaction leads to fires.

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sheraz

Mar 09, 2015 05:06pm

Fire broke out on the eighth floor and spread to the fourth floor where records have been dumped?? By passing 5th, 6th and 7th floor?? How on earth is that possible??

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khanm

Mar 09, 2015 05:06pm

@Zak ...The courts should make sure their files are safe. off course they are have you seen ever being indicted...

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khanm

Mar 09, 2015 05:09pm

@Justice ....No science is immune to the infection of politics and the corruption of power.

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khanm

Mar 09, 2015 05:13pm

@Zedan ...The difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion is the thickness of a prison wall. unfortunately they don't care for they never go to prison...

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khanm

Mar 09, 2015 05:15pm

@faisal... for pity crime we send people to jail but those major tax evaders we put them in office.... what is new...

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Mar 09, 2015 05:17pm

Very convenient!

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ash

Mar 09, 2015 05:29pm

Something fishy

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Muhammad Farooq

Mar 09, 2015 05:33pm

Not unusual for a corruption ridden deparment. No govt has been able to clean up this mess.

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A Sad Pakistani

Mar 09, 2015 05:49pm

targetted fire... only on 4th and 8th floors...

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Truth

Mar 09, 2015 05:53pm

Inside job

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indian

Mar 09, 2015 05:58pm

Yaar ye india aur pakistan me fire common places m hi kyo lagti h Income tax office Revenue department Audit office Eh sab sade country Nall hi kyo Honda h??? Hun dass vi do neta ji lalla ji

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KeyPoints

Mar 09, 2015 06:31pm

What some big fish about to be nailed down with fraud tax filing? With burned up records, case dismissed. Go scott free enjoy your tax free life.

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Pak-Patriot

Mar 09, 2015 06:48pm

Tax offices are made for such events. They live on persecution of the poor and boot-licking of those loaded with filthy money.

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Guest

Mar 09, 2015 06:48pm

Old tactic to protect the misdeeds.

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Sandeep

Mar 09, 2015 07:00pm

Why does every story in Pakistan sound much like our own (Indian)? I can visualize some corrupt leader and big businessmen hatching a plan to burn. Then tax authority harass honest people to produce document again.

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Red Dawn

Mar 09, 2015 07:04pm

@Ahmed USA Or register of record of land revenue like LDA. Strangely it coincides with computerization of land revenue records in lahore. Strange much?

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Manzur

Mar 09, 2015 07:05pm

Waoo .. Awesome.. Well this time bhatta has been given to destroy the all income tax related information. I have to say God bless my hometown...& well done MQM & PPP for their awesome services to Karachites..

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Sunil

Mar 09, 2015 07:15pm

This fire is to evade taxes, a clever tactics.

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Shamain

Mar 09, 2015 07:40pm

@Zak , online databasing,recordkeeping should be there. How they aren't doing it.

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Shamain

Mar 09, 2015 07:42pm

@indian ,still that doesnt make us one

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Syed Ahmed, Canada

Mar 09, 2015 07:43pm

First evade Income Tax than have the records destroyed. This is the game of money launderers.

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mirza

Mar 09, 2015 09:35pm

Perfect. Now nobody knows who owes what. It is clear that all this record was only on paper, no digital backup, no microfiche backup, no offsite backup. I am positive they don't even understand the concept of backup and offsite backup?.

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M.Raga

Mar 09, 2015 10:04pm

@indian : Where in India did you find news of fire in tax office??

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Ali

Mar 09, 2015 10:48pm

This can happen only in Pakistan. Long live our government officials. They are expert in such tasks.

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Arshad

Mar 09, 2015 10:51pm

Income Tax officers are noted for being the most corrupt . They work hand in hand with tax payers to evade taxes. So now when they sense the noose tightening they set fires to selected records. To find out the culprits find out whose records were burnt and you will discover most who planned this arson. Mr. NS understand sir???

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khan

Mar 09, 2015 11:27pm

Everything is recorded anyway. No matter what you do. Only sincere repentance will clear accounts.

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Manjeet kocchar

Mar 10, 2015 05:14am

Records of elite? Or commoners

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Hakali

Mar 10, 2015 11:54am

This incident is very similar to LDA Fire before Elections last, year. Why are my comments not being shown, i have not violated Comments Policy, I need some explanation From the Moderator.

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