A man self-immolated outside the Prime Minister Secretariat in Islamabad on Friday, with Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Hamza Shafqaat saying he was "mentally disturbed".

Shafqaat added that the deceased, identified as Faisal Mehmood, was a resident of Murree and was mentally unstable and a drug addict.

The claim about Mehmood's mental health could not be independently verified.

A First Information Report (FIR) had been registered against Mehmood last year for allegedly attempting to abuse a minor girl and he had been declared an absconder in December 2019, the Islamabad deputy commissioner said.

Before setting himself on fire, the man said that he did not trust the Rawalpindi police which was why he was taking this step.

Shafqaat added that the man had some medical problems as well and had recently visited Polyclinic Hospital.

The Islamabad chief commissioner ordered a judicial inquiry into the matter to "ascertain the facts" and directed the inquiry committee to submit a report within 48 hours.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the incident happened outside the PM House. In fact, it happened outside the PM Secretariat. The error is regretted.