ISLAMABAD (S Awan) It has been revealed that eight major fire incidents have occurred in the H Nine Bazaar of the federal capital during the last nine years, as a result of which thousands of shops and stalls were damaged while the traders faced a financial loss of crores of rupees. The details of the fire incident in H Nine Bazar have been presented in Parliament.

According to the documents, on August 23, 2017, 611 stalls were affected as a result of the fire in H Nine Bazaar, while the loss was estimated at Rs 22 crore. On July 18, 2018, a fire damaged 100 stalls and caused a financial loss of Rs.3 crore. In another fire incident in October of the same year, 26 stalls were affected while a loss of Rs 40 lakh was recorded.

The documents state that in 2019, 302 stalls were damaged in the fire incident and a financial loss of Rs 15 lakh was incurred. A fire in April 2022 affected 22 stalls and caused a loss of Rs 50 lakh, while in the December 2022 incident, 133 stalls were affected by fire and the financial loss was estimated at Rs 70 lakh.

According to the documents, on 10 July 2024, a major fire incident took place in H Nine Bazaar, in which 625 stalls were affected and a loss of Rs 28 crore was incurred. Later on 23 June 2026, another fire incident damaged 380 stalls while the financial loss was estimated at Rs 5-6 crore.

The documents reveal that no compensation has yet been paid to the traders affected by the fire. The affected traders requested reconstruction of the damaged stalls at their own expense. The investigation into the major fire incident in 2024 was completed under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner Islamabad.

According to the documents, the Prime Minister's Office has issued instructions to prepare a comprehensive fire safety plan for all commercial markets in Islamabad. All commercial centers have been ordered to conduct a fire safety audit on the first week of every month, during which emergency routes, safety of electrical installations and fire fighting arrangements will be reviewed.

The government has also decided to increase the professional training and capacity of the fire fighting personnel while the reports regarding the implementation of fire safety measures have been directed to be sent to the Ministry of Interior.