Fire breaks out at GHQ in Rawalpindi

A fire broke out yesterday in a section of the Pakistani army's general headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi while the armed forces are on high alert amid continuing military strikes in Afghanistan by the U.S. and Britain.

Military officials said the blaze was triggered by an electric short circuit in a stationery store, damaging papers and furniture, causing no casualties or damage to the building. Fire fighters extinguished the fire in about four hours and an inquiry has been ordered, a military spokesman said.

The incident came four days after a reshuffle in the top army command by President General Pervez Musharraf who removed Lieutenant-General Mahmood Ahmad from the post of director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

Ahmad has been prematurely retired and Lieutenant-General Ehsanul Haq has been appointed head of the powerful counter-espionage organisation.

Some corps commanders were also changed while Lieutenant-General Aziz was promoted to the rank of a full general and appointed chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee.

Foreign media speculated that the changes were made to sideline officers with a pro-Taliban tilt, but Musharraf dismissed the rumours during a news conference on Monday.

The president described the reshuffle as routine military activity and said it had no connection with the events in Afghanistan.