KARACHI: Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Sunday rejected the preliminary report on the Karachi factory fire adding that the element of terrorism behind the incident could not be ruled out and that other aspects into the incident were being examined, DawnNews reported.

While talking to media persons during his visit at the site of the tragic factory fire, Malik said that there was no confirmation in the report about the generator or boiler of the factory exploding and that simultaneous incidents of  fire at factories in Lahore and Karachi could be an act of terrorism.

Malik said that the factory had caught fire twice in the past and yet the owners made no safety arrangement adding that an insurance claim for a previous fire at the factory was also being investigated

The interior minister added that no one was being harassed and issued a warning to the factory owners to co-operate with the investigations or else they would be dealt strictly according to the law.

Furthermore the interior minister said that no guilty party would be spared and that investigations would take place to identify people  responsible for the incident and those responsible for the slow pace and negligence during the rescue operations.

Malik lauded the performance of the police adding that nothing more could be said for sure until the investigation process had concluded.