Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday ordered the suspension of eight officials, including the executive director (ED) of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), and directed that criminal proceedings be initiated against them over a fire at the hospital that claimed the lives of 14 infants.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the premier took the decision on the recommendations of the inquiry committee, whose interim report was presented at a high-level meeting chaired by him in Lahore.
The eight individuals named in the report are Pims Executive Director Prof Dr Imran Sikandar; Prof Dr Sadia Riaz, head of neonatology at Children Hospital, Pims; Dr Nagham, senior registrar in the neonatology department; Dr Mutahir Shah, joint executive director, MCH; Ch Waris Ali Raza, joint executive director (non-medical), Pims; Dr Nosheela Amjad, director, MCH; Dr Abdul Rehman, director general, CES, CDA; and Muhammad Usman, assistant director (security).
The prime minister specifically directed that those identified by the inquiry committee face not only departmental action but also criminal proceedings under the relevant laws, the PMO said.
He also ordered that criminal proceedings be initiated against those responsible without discrimination and approved action against the company tasked with providing security at the hospital and its officials.
The premier further directed that National Institutes of Health (NIH) Chief Executive Officer Dr Mohammad Salman be appointed acting executive director of Pims. He also ordered the immediate appointment of new officials to replace those removed from their positions.
He also directed the immediate release of the inquiry committee’s preliminary report, the PMO said, adding that the document would be published on the health ministry’s website.
Speaking on the occasion, the premier said those responsible for criminal negligence would not be given any leniency and vowed that those responsible for the incident would be brought to justice.
“The deaths of these innocent children are a heartbreaking tragedy that has left the entire nation grieving. My sympathies, along with those of the entire nation, are with the children’s parents,” he said.
Shehbaz added that those responsible would be given exemplary punishment to ensure that no mother was separated from her child again because of criminal negligence.
Report says fire’s precise source not ‘conclusively established’
The interim report presented to the prime minister said the precise source of ignition had not yet been “conclusively established”.
It noted that questions requiring forensic, technical or documentary examination — including the exact ignition source, the contribution of specific deficiencies to the incident and the final determination of individual responsibility — had been left for the committee’s comprehensive report.
“The committee considers it important that uncertainty regarding the first spark should not prevent examination of the protective systems that should have prevented an initial fire from becoming a mass fatality event. The cause of ignition and the causes of the consequences are related but analytically distinct.”
The report also reconstructed the incident using CCTV footage, which it described as providing “the most objective reconstruction” of what happened.
According to the footage, the first visible sign of an emergency appeared at around 6:38:15am, when charge nurse Nasreen hurriedly emerged from the nursery and sought assistance. About 20 seconds later, she and security guard Maria entered the nursery, with reflections of flames visible.
Staff nurse Razia entered the nursery at around 6:38:56am and emerged eight seconds later carrying a baby, thereby rescuing the child. She then attempted to re-enter the nursery shortly afterwards.
Dr Abdul Rehman emerged at around 6:39:12am, while Camera 16 was largely obscured by smoke by about 6:39:15am. The adjoining corridor door visible on Camera 12 was opened at around 6:39:45am, and that camera was also obscured by smoke by about 6:40:08am.
The report said the footage established that conditions inside the nursery deteriorated “catastrophically” within approximately two minutes. The footage of the incident was also shown to the premier and other meeting attendees.
The interim report of the inquiry committee said various accounts had attributed the fire to an air conditioner, an incubator or warmer, or an electrical short circuit or overloaded plug.
According to the report, Iesco records showed no contemporaneous fault or tripping on the external feeder, shifting the focus of the electrical-causation inquiry to Pims’s internal electrical distribution system, including sockets, plugs, wiring and connected equipment.
The report noted that preventive maintenance records showed several incubators had recently been serviced and returned to working condition. However, it said these records did not conclusively establish the electrical safety of the equipment, plug, socket or associated circuit.
“Accordingly, an internal electrical/equipment-related origin remains plausible, but it would be premature to identify any particular appliance or component as the established cause,” the report said.
Charge nurse Nasreen and security guard Maria have been directed to remain off duty and not perform any duties until further orders. A decision on whether to proceed against them will be taken after the inquiry committee submits its final report, added the interim report.
The initial findings showed that Pims had no detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) or training for dealing with fires or other emergency situations. Of the hospital’s 13 SOPs, references to fire or emergency situations were found in only two subsections, the meeting was told.
The interim report of the inquiry committee said the record showed that rescue and evacuation efforts had been made, but did not establish that there was an approved, communicated, trained and rehearsed fire and evacuation SOP specifically for the neonatal nursery.
It noted that while Pims had SOPs covering various clinical and administrative functions, no comparably detailed procedure had been produced for fire detection, alarm activation, external notification, incident command, extinguisher use, oxygen or electrical isolation, unlocking emergency exits, evacuation priorities or the safe relocation of non-ambulatory newborns.
The report, however, pointed out that Pims’ Security Department SOP, dated May 27, 2023, expressly recognised fire safety as an institutional responsibility. It required the security department to ensure fire safety for the protection of infrastructure, equipment, patients, visitors and staff, while assigning the assistant director security responsibility for ensuring the availability of fire exits, the functionality of firefighting equipment and the training of relevant personnel.
Pims had also nominated personnel for specialised fire-safety training before the incident, the report said, adding that the key question was therefore not whether fire risks had been recognised administratively, but whether the assigned responsibilities and available training had translated into actual preparedness at the neonatal nursery.
The report said the Capital Emergency Services (CES) had separately found fire and life-safety arrangements to be inadequate and compromised. It said emergency exits and escape routes were locked or obstructed, security personnel hindered aspects of the initial response and crowd management was inadequate. According to the CES account, firefighters had to forcibly open locked fire-exit doors and other access points.
The committee described these as serious prima facie deficiencies but said it was still verifying the status and location of each relevant door before assigning responsibility.
It also said the corridor door adjoining the nursery, visible on CCTV, required separate consideration. The door was initially closed but was opened at around 6:39:45am, after rescue activity had already begun through another access point.
The report cautioned that controlled access to a neonatal unit had a legitimate security purpose and that a locked or controlled door could not, by itself, be treated as evidence of negligence. The key questions, it said, were whether the door was a designated or required emergency exit, whether it could be opened immediately in an emergency and whether its condition had materially delayed evacuation or rescue.
The inquiry committee said certain safety measures could not be deferred until submission of its comprehensive report. It recommended that Pims immediately conduct a hospital-wide fire, life-safety and electrical audit through competent and preferably independent technical experts, beginning with the NICU/neonatal nursery, intensive care units, operating theatres and other high-risk areas.
According to the report, smoke and heat detection systems, alarms, fire extinguishers, hydrants, emergency lighting, electrical protection systems and all designated fire exits should be physically inspected, tested and documented. Any mandatory emergency exit found locked, obstructed or incapable of being opened immediately in an emergency should be rectified without delay. At the same time, legitimate controlled access to sensitive neonatal areas should be maintained through fire-safe arrangements.
The committee further recommended an urgent technical inspection of all incubators, warmers, air-conditioning and IVAC installations, sockets, plugs, distribution boards, circuit breakers, earthing and other safety-critical electrical systems in high-risk clinical areas.
It said Pims should introduce temporary fire-watch arrangements wherever automatic detection or protection systems were deficient and conduct practical fire and neonatal evacuation drills involving doctors, nurses, security and engineering staff.
The report also called for an immediate, clear and tested emergency notification and incident-command protocol. Under the proposed system, detection of a fire should trigger a simultaneous internal alarm, mobilisation of designated responders and direct notification of CES/Rescue 1122, without relying on informal communication through multiple administrative layers. The officer responsible for each step should be identified by designation and the process tested periodically, it said.
The committee recommended that every deficiency identified by the July inquiry, CDA/CES inspections, the present inquiry or the immediate safety audit be entered into a time-bound compliance mechanism specifying the deficiency, the responsible officer or agency, the action required, a deadline and independent verification of closure.
“The July record demonstrates that identifying deficiencies without ensuring implementation does not provide effective institutional protection,” the report said.
The meeting was also informed, as noted in the report, that a fire had broken out at the Pims nursing hostel in July, a month before the incident, but no significant safety measures were taken at the hospital afterwards.
There was also no officer specifically responsible for dealing with fires or other emergencies at the hospital. An assistant director had been assigned the additional responsibility, the meeting was told.
The meeting was further briefed on the hospital’s dilapidated condition and mismanagement. The prime minister thanked inquiry committee head Shahid Khan and its members and directed them to complete the investigation and submit a detailed report.
Federal ministers Ahsan Khan Cheema, Attaullah Tarar and Syed Mustafa Kamal, inquiry committee head Shahid Khan, members Barrister Nabeel Awan and Major General (retd) Khursheed Utra, and relevant senior officials attended the meeting.
Rs1m for nurse who saved child
PM Shehbaz also approved the Sitara-i-Khidmat award and a Rs1 million cash reward for nurse Razia Noreen, who “saved a child without regard for her own life”, the PMO said. Hospital officials said 15 newborns were in the ward when the fire broke out, one of whom was rescued.
The premier paid tribute to the nurse, praising her for saving the child “a few moments before the fire caused destruction”.
“Razia Noreen has demonstrated an exceptional sense of responsibility and humanity. The entire nation, including myself, is proud of Nurse Razia Noreen for risking her own life to save the child. Such dutiful individuals cannot be praised enough,” he was quoted as saying.
Ministers visit Pims
Earlier in the day, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry visited the children’s ward at Pims.
Speaking to the media, he expressed the hope that findings of the inquiry committee would help clarify the circumstances surrounding the fire.
During the visit, the ministers met the families who lost their children in the tragedy. Kamal and Chaudhry conveyed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s condolences and sympathies to the bereaved families, while also expressing their own heartfelt condolences and deep sorrow over the loss.
“This is an extremely tragic and heartbreaking incident that cannot be adequately expressed in words,” Kamal said.
“We have come to share the pain and grief of the affected mothers and stand by them in this difficult time,” he said.
“The pain of a mother losing her child is a tragedy beyond words. There is no substitute for precious human lives, and the children who lost their lives cannot be brought back,” Kamal added.
He said the government and the entire nation stood with the affected families and shared their grief during the difficult time.
During their visit to Pims, the ministers reviewed the facilities and arrangements at the children’s ward and received a briefing from the hospital administration on the healthcare services being provided to patients.
Kamal said the government was awaiting the report of the inquiry committee constituted by PM Shehbaz to determine responsibility for the deadly fire.
“Let us wait for the report of the prime minister’s inquiry committee,” he said, adding that its findings would help clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The ministers also reviewed the overall situation at the hospital and discussed measures to improve patient care and hospital management.
Later, they visited an affected family at their home in Rawalpindi, where Kamal presented cheques worth Rs5 million to the two families on behalf of the government.
“This financial assistance can in no way compensate for their loss,” he said, adding that it was only a gesture by the government to stand by the families and share in their responsibility.
Kamal said a complete and impartial investigation into the incident was under way.
“Strict action will be taken against those found responsible for this tragic incident,” he added.
‘There is only one committee’
Kamal, speaking on Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’ on Friday, rejected reports that three inquiry committees had been formed to investigate the fire at Pims, saying that only the panel constituted by the prime minister would probe the incident.
“There is only one committee formed by PM Shehbaz,” he said.
He said Shahid Khan was heading the committee investigating the incident. “It has been 24 hours; another 24 hours are left. They have to submit their report by tomorrow evening,” he said.
“Whatever its recommendations are, they must be implemented. Other than that, the entire exercise is useless,” he said.
“We will leave no stone unturned in implementing this committee’s recommendations and orders — whether an ED is named or anyone else,” he added.
Asked whether he had submitted his handwritten resignation to PM Shehbaz and whether the premier had refused to accept it, Kamal replied: “If you know this much, why are you asking me?”
Deadly fire at Pims
On Wednesday, 14 babies were killed after a fire erupted at the Mother and Child Healthcare Centre at Pims.
According to a Pims statement, the incident was “initially caused by a spark inside the nursery at 06:38am”, and within seconds a massive fire erupted due to oxygen points at each incubator. It said two doctors and two nurses on duty responded immediately and called security staff, who tried twice to enter the nursery before a blast occurred and the ceilings collapsed.
But, witnesses said they waited hours for emergency services and were forced to smash windows to reach the affected ward, while some alleged that doors were locked.
The hospital and government later disputed claims of delays and locked emergency exits.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed a high-level inquiry committee to probe the incident and removed federal Health Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri.
Speaking in the Senate on Friday, Kamal said the tragedy could not become an “episode lasting merely a few days” and backed a parliamentary probe into the incident. He called for a wider investigation, saying it would expose a larger “rot” in the health sector.
Calling the health system “rotten”, Kamal said the Pims deaths should become a basis for reforms to prevent similar tragedies. Responding to calls for his resignation, he said, “Let the investigation be completed. I have already taken action beyond what they are thinking.”
The Senate unanimously passed a resolution seeking a special committee to investigate the fire, while the National Assembly also called for an impartial inquiry and strict action over negligence or safety lapses. The government has announced Rs5 million compensation for each affected family.
The tragedy has since sparked widespread outrage and calls for accountability, with the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on National Health Services also demanding answers from the Pims administration over possible negligence and safety lapses.
