ISLAMABAD – The National Assembly on Friday passed a resolution expressing its profound grief and sorrow over the tragic loss of innocent infants’ lives in the recent fire incident at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad. The resolution moved by Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Barrister Danyal Chaudhry strongly condemned the incident and expressed grave concern over the sheer negligence resulting into the loss of precious lives. It called upon the government to take strict action against anyone responsible for the negligence or safety lapses in accordance with law.
The resolution called upon the government to ensure strict implementation of fire safety and emergency preparedness measures in federal government hospitals, particularly in neonatal and pediatric units to prevent recurrence of such tragic incidents in future.
The resolution extended its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.
Speaking in the National Assembly, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar said an interim report of the committee, constituted by the Prime Minister to probe into the fire tragedy at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Islamabad, will be presented by Friday evening.
He said the content of the interim report would be shared. He said the committee, headed by former Interior Secretary Shahid Khan, would submit a detailed report on the incident in seven days.
The Law Minister said another committee has also been constituted to propose measures for the revamping and improvement of PIMS. The committee would also submit its recommendations in seven days.
Taking the floor, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif emphasised that those responsible for negligence in the PIMS fire tragedy must be held accountable. He called for swift action and stressed that the accountability process should be completed without any delay.
Later, the Law Minister moved a motion authorizing the Speaker to constitute a special committee in consultation with the Chairman Senate to not only investigate the PIMS fire incident, but also formulate recommendations to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future. The House was prorogued later. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry handed over compensation cheques of five million rupees each to the parents of children who lost their lives in the PIMS tragedy.
In a statement on X, the Minister said that the compensation could in no way be considered a price for the irreparable loss suffered by the parents.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced Rs5 millions compensation each for 14 families whose newborns died in the fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad.
Multiple government inquiries are examining the cause of the fire, fire-safety arrangements, staffing and the emergency response. The tragedy has also renewed scrutiny of fire safety in Islamabad, where a 2026 CDA survey of 6,500 public and private buildings found most lacked approved fire-safety plans or required completion and fire-safety certificates.
Urging the need for “radical reforms” in the country’s healthcare system, Minister for National Health Services Mustafa Kamal on Friday assured the Senate that those responsible for the fire tragedy at the PIMS, which claimed lives of 14 newborns, would “not be spared”.
His remarks came before the House unanimously adopted a resolution to form a special committee comprising treasury and opposition members to investigate the deadly inferno at the Maternal and Child Health Centre of government-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
“I am the health minister. I consider myself responsible (for the tragedy). Without mincing my words, I have presented myself (for accountability),” Kamal said while speaking during a stormy Senate session.
Responding to critical questions from the treasury and opposition members, he said the House should wait for some time till the report of the inquiry committee, formed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, would come by Friday night.
“On behalf of the prime minister and the government, I assure you that nobody (responsible for the incident) would be spared. Let the report (of the committee) come,” he said amid calls of his resignation. The health minister said he would be the last person to say that the issue should be pushed under the carpet.
He endorsed the idea of forming the special parliamentary committee, noting that it should not limit itself to the fire incident only. He added that the committee should broaden its scope to “protect children of this country from such incidents in the future”.
Kamal painted a grim picture of the country’s health indicators. “As many as 400,000 children between the ages of one to five years die every year in Pakistan. 1,300 children die daily,” he said, adding that Pakistan had the highest number of child mortality rate in the world. “We also lose 11,000 mothers every year during pregnancy.”
He said that he would not conceal anything from the House, adding that the politicians should also stop recommending individuals, what he called them as “thieves”, of their own choice for postings in the healthcare system.
“The entire system has rotted and decayed,” he said and added, “If I remove one bad person, where do I get a good one from.”
Earlier, the routine business was suspended on a motion moved by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) parliamentary leader in the House Senator Sherry Rehman for a thorough discussion on the incident.
Leader of the Opposition in the House Allama Raja Nasir Abbas called for removal of the PIMS’ Executive Director Dr. Rana Imran Sikandar holding him responsible for the incident. He said that a standing committee of the House had raised questions over his appointment. He urged that the House should become a complainant to lodge an FIR in the case, adding that those officials had justified the appointment of the executive director before the committee should be charged.
Senator Abbas said that the opposition would strongly resist if the incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief was brought to the PIMS for treatment, which is being run by an “inefficient” administrator.
PPP parliamentary leader Senator Sherry Rehman emphasized the need for a transparent and independent investigation into the tragedy, stressing that the incident raised serious questions of governance, accountability and public safety.
The resolution calling for the formation of the special Senate committee to investigate the incident was also moved by Senator Rehman.
“Wherever there is a failure, there must be accountability. Audit and accountability are integral parts of politics…Politics is all about accountability,” she said.
She also challenged the account given by the executive director (ED) of the PIMS regarding the emergency gate.
She said the ED was lying when he said that the emergency gate was not closed. The firefighters and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) have stated that the gate was closed, she added. “What is the purpose of an emergency exit? It is supposed to remain open for emergencies.”
Senator Rehman also pointed to contradictions between the PIMS report and the findings of the CDA, particularly concerning the hospital’s fire-safety arrangements.
The Parliamentary Leader of PTI in the House Senator Syed Ali Zafar described the incident as a “terrible tragedy” and called for a thorough investigation to determine its immediate cause, identify negligence and fix responsibility.
“There must be accountability for the failures that led to the loss of life,” he said.
He said the immediate cause of the incident and any negligence involved must be established through proper investigation.
Senator Zafar proposed that the House should constitute a special committee comprising an equal number of treasury and opposition members.
He added that the panel should examine hospital safety and emergency preparedness and develop comprehensive standard operating procedures (SOPs) for dealing with foreseeable hazards and emergencies.
