KARACHI: An office of a web TV channel of the Christian community in Karachi’s Akhter Colony was destroyed in a mysterious fire, it emerged on Wednesday. The channel, Gawahi, airs religious programmes.

Police said the fire was caused by a short circuit, but the channel’s director told media that it was an act of sabotage.

Mehmoodabad SHO Sarwar Commando told Dawn that the web TV’s office was located in a residential building, which caught fire on Monday night. The people living in the building were rescued by fire brigade personnel.

He said equipment and other items worth about Rs2 million and the channel’s two-room office had been destroyed in the fire.

The SHO quoted the fire brigade officials as saying that the short circuit failure was the main cause of the fire because electric wire had caught fire. Besides, he said, the residents also told police that they had not seen anyone entering the office.

He said police had received an application from the channel’s management on Tuesday for an inquiry into the incident.

Police have decided to get footage of CCTVs installed at a nearby church to ascertain the possibility of any sabotage.

He said the TV management had not reported to police that they had been receiving threats.

Meanwhile, BBC Urdu quoted Gawahi’s director Sarfraz William as saying that the fire was an act of sabotage. He said chemicals were used to destroy computers and other equipment as wooden stuff remained safe. It gave rise to his suspicion that it was an act of arson.

Mr William claimed that they had received threats from suspected militants in the past to close the religious channel.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2015