Fourteen infants were killed in a fire at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), with officials saying that it was due to an issue in the air conditioning system.

“I have no idea where my child is. Give me my child,” said an affected parent, as eyewitnesses said that the rescue personnel arrived late while the doctors also did not make all-out efforts to save the patients.

The incident is among the deadliest hospital fires in recent years in the country, where government healthcare is subsidised but facilities are under-resourced and overburdened.

Pims, centrally located in Islamabad, is one of the main public hospitals of the city of around 1.1 million people.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif suspended the Secretary of Health, while saying that a high-level committee has initiated an investigation into the fire. “Former Interior Secretary Shahid Khan will head the committee,” he added.

Analysts, experts, and politicians expressed grief over the incident, demanding an independent inquiry.

‘Not a word on minister’

Senior journalist Hamid Mir said that regarding the inquiry committee that the prime minister has set up, once again, many bureaucrats have been included in it with whom I personally have a good relationship. However, I believe that today, we must speak the truth and express our opinions without any fear.

“Any bureaucrat who resides in Islamabad and has had any association with the secretary who has been suspended should not be included in this inquiry committee. Look, several hours have passed now; [we] have come to know many things, and we have learned many facts directly from eye-witnesses — from those grieving mothers who are still present there, and from many other patients who are still there right now. They have revealed a great deal to us.”

“So this incident that has occurred… the primary responsibility for this incident lies with the Health Ministry, followed by the administration of Pims. Furthermore, the main reason for the deaths of these children is that the staff present on the spot made no effort to save them.”

He added that one child was rescued, but eyewitnesses — who rescued some children and patients from surrounding wards — report that the nurses and other staff present prevented them from stepping outside and locked the doors to hide the fact that a fire had broken out inside the hospital.

“Another deeply concerning aspect is that although a couple of doctors and a few individuals subsequently attempted to save the children, many of the nurses on-site claimed the fire was too severe for them to even try.”

“I believe that if such an incident can occur in the heart of Pakistan’s capital — not in some far-flung area, but barely three to four kilometres from Parliament House, President House, and Prime Minister House — and 14 to 15 children can lose their lives, merely suspending a Federal Secretary is not enough.”

“The prime minister suspended the federal secretary, yet did not write a single word about the [health] minister in his official statement. The reason is that the minister belongs to an allied political party.”

“The minister himself criticises the performance of the Sindh government day and night — criticism that you and I also share — yet today, when such a major incident has occurred within his own ministry, he says, ‘Look, you people are emotional right now; I will not answer your questions’.”

“Therefore, regarding this inquiry committee formed by the prime minister, I believe it is incapable of identifying those responsible or recommending strict punishment against them. In fact, certain individuals within this committee itself should be subjected to an inquiry.”

“All appointments in the federal government follow a standard and an SOP to ensure a competent person is appointed. Who made these improper appointments? If the person whose signatures authorised these appointments is included in this committee, what kind of inquiry can be expected?”

‘Transparency compromised’ if stakeholders probe

Former caretaker health minister, Dr Nadeem Jan, told Geo News that this was not a solo incident, saying that it must be viewed from a systemic perspective, objectively.

“We had advocated—and even now we advocate—that the allocation of GDP for health, which is currently at 1%, should be increased, please, to 3%. We did not succeed in that. We also stated that if we strengthen the primary healthcare system, the burden on Pims will be reduced.”

“Currently, 80% of illnesses could be treated by the primary healthcare system, but patients come here because that system is weak. 70 to 80% of our budget is spent on secondary and tertiary care, not on primary care. Consequently, these incidents occur.”

He also said that a judge should head the probe committee, but it must include independent technical experts. “You should hire people from the market for this and not include existing stakeholders. Because if stakeholders are part of the inquiry committee, transparency is compromised.”

Judicial commission

Jahangir Jadoon, former Islamabad advocate general, said that serious questions have been raised about the hospital’s credibility and merit.

He said that an inquiry should be conducted by forming a judicial commission headed by an independent Supreme Court judge of high integrity, to hold accountable whoever is responsible — even if it is the MD.

Jadoon added that if you take a look at the litigation record of this hospital, it has the highest number of court cases among all hospitals. “Everyone is after someone else; people are appointed on recommendations and then they go to court to file cases; machinery lies out of order.”

“Therefore, a complete audit of this entire hospital should be conducted: where does its equipment come from, how does the commission mafia operate here, and how are medicines procured? A comprehensive, independent judicial commission should be constituted to conduct an inquiry for this entire hospital.”

“This is not just an isolated incident today; many such incidents occur that do not even get highlighted in the media,” he added.

Jadoon added that people who are in any way linked to the people involved in the incident should not be part of the probe committee.

Delay and fire extinguishing

Former Pims executive director Dr Raja Amjad Mehmood told Geo News that the hospital had an emergency disaster plan in place, stressing that it was due to such training that the security staff utilised these fire cylinders, which prevented the fire from spreading further.

“Otherwise, it would have spread throughout the MCH, especially since oxygen supply lines and oxygen pipes are present there, which can cause fire to spread rapidly. So they used those cylinders. In fact, I spoke with a responsible official from their administration who confirmed that they used those cylinders; had they not been used, the fire would have been much worse…,” he added.

Explaining the reason behind a delay, he said that the MCH and Child Hospital are interconnected; they are connected via a corridor in between.

“So this nursery is situated right between the MCH and the Children’s Hospital. If you were to enter from the main entrance or through that emergency route, the Fire Brigade’s hose pipe would have needed to be drawn over a very long distance.”

“Therefore, from the rear side, they broke the window and entered immediately, because had they gone through the main entrance, getting the hose pipe to that spot would have taken a lot of time,” he added.

Govt allies

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman said that it was beyond shocking that the mothers are seen saying they have not even seen their children’s bodies.

“This is a deep stain of shame on the entire ministry and the rot within. This is where citizens are sent to heal in the federal capital? We all see the erosion in services here but nothing is done even after assurances in parliament. “

PPP MNA Sharmila Faruqui said that the prime minister has removed the health secretary from his post, but will the accountability be limited to just one officer?

“If there is any such thing left as political and moral responsibility in this country, then Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal should immediately tender his resignation,” she added.

Opposition

Ex-PPP leader and senior politician Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said that the heartbreaking tragedy at Pims hospital demands that heads should roll.

“PM’s notice taking is simply not enough, this is criminal negligence. 14 infants losing their lives in an incident which could have been prevented by better management and oversight, can’t be shrugged off.”

Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Allama Raja Nasir said that the heart-wrenching tragedy of innocent newborns losing their lives in the fire at Pims hospital in Islamabad is a profound shock and source of grief for the entire nation.

“These tiny souls, who had not even opened their eyes to the world, cannot be dismissed as mere accident victims after perishing in the flames. This incident raises the most serious questions about safety measures in hospitals, administrative oversight, and governmental priorities.”

Former PML-N leader Mohammad Zubair said: “This is too tragic. Very painful. This government can’t even manage a hospital in Islamabad.”

Former finance minister Miftah Ismail termed the incident “beyond tragic”.

“This is criminal negligence. There should be a full investigation and accountability and heads must roll.”

Header image: Ambulances are parked outside a mortuary following a deadly fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital in Islamabad, August 26, 2026. — Reuters