FIA to shift Karachi offices to Cotton Exchange building

KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is preparing to use the historic Cotton Exchange building on I.I. Chundrigar Road as its Karachi headquarters after the Karachi Cotton Association (KCA) was removed from the premises.

The FIA and the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) had in December 2025 said they had recovered and vacated the Karachi Cotton Exchange building on the directions of the apex court, describing it as federal trust property.

The question of ownership, however, remains unresolved and is currently pending before the Sindh High Court for adjudication.

Agreement reached for use of premises

The FIA and the ETPB have reached an arrangement under which the FIA will pay rent to the ETPB for occupying the building.

The relocation of FIA units to the site has already started. The Anti-Corruption Circle has already been moved to the building, while the Corporate Crime Circle is in the process of shifting there.

An official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the building has an estimated 200 to 300 rooms and could house all FIA offices in Karachi.

Case remains before SHC

The development comes while the legal dispute over the property is still before the Sindh High Court.

In December 2025, the FIA and the ETPB had announced that the building had been taken back and vacated in compliance with orders of the apex court. They had also declared the property to be part of the federal trust estate.

The Cotton Exchange building is located on Karachi’s I.I. Chundrigar Road and is regarded as a historic structure. With the FIA now moving sections of its Karachi operations there, the premises are set to become the agency’s main base in the city under the arrangement reached with the ETPB.

Officials said the size of the building would allow the agency to consolidate its Karachi offices at one location. The Anti-Corruption Circle has already shifted, while the transfer of the Corporate Crime Circle is underway.

The matter of title and ownership, meanwhile, is still awaiting a final court determination.