ISLAMABAD, Jan 16: The investigating authorities are focussing their attention on the possibility of a terrorist act in the Shaheed-i-Millat Secretariat fire incident, well placed sources told Dawn here on Wednesday.

According to sources, initially the fire was confined only to the 16th floor and a team of 20 fire-fighters was deputed on the 15th floor to stop the fire from spreading down.

Municipal Administration Director Mustafain Kazmi, who was supervising the fire-fighting operation from close quarters, said: “Suddenly fire broke out on the 11th floor at around 10.45pm which was totally unexpected.”

The fire, which started at around 6.30pm was confined only up to the 16th floor till 10.45 and the officials, including the SSP, were of the opinion that perhaps it was caused due to short-circuiting.

The sudden fire on the 11th floor forced the fire-fighters to withdraw from the building as the smoke and flames had made it impossible for them to work. Answering a question about focus of authorities on sabotage or terrorist activity, 111 Brigade Commander Brig Shafqat, said: “there are people who are already looking at it from this aspect.”

After extinguishing the fire at around 7am on Wednesday, the authorities sealed the building to preserve the evidence, a source said.

Sources in the ministry of interior said the intelligence agencies had warned about the possibility of terrorist activity in the wake of escalating tensions with India and the countrywide crackdown launched against the members of the seven banned organisations.

Extra security measures were introduced in the Pakistan secretariat, and the PTV and Radio Pakistan were directed to prepare emergency programmes for telecast from alternative sources to meet any eventuality in the special external and internal security environment.