August 27, 2026
By Hashir Ahsan
ISLAMABAD
“We had prayed hard for my son to be born,” says Idris Khan. “Finally four years later, exactly at the time of Fajr (dawn) prayers my son was born.”
After the baby was born, the doctor told them he had to be taken into the nursery for an hour after which he would be returned to them. That was the last time they would see him.
“The baby whom my wife carried inside her womb for nine months, was reduced to just ashes in just a few moments of his life,” cries Idris.
He recounts the horrifying moment when he along with other parents saw what was happening.
“They took my baby to the nursery, and some time later I went there, I saw smoke inside,” he said. “Immediately I tried to open the door but found that the door was locked. The parents of the other newborns also tried to open the door, but it was impossible. There was no way we could enter. There was also no member of staff or administration present there.”
“Who will pay the price for this?” he asks. The answer is obvious: due to administrative negligence, it is the parents who are already paying a heavy price.
Idris directly blames the government for this negligence and for the tragedy that took place on Wednesday morning at the PIMS Hospital, Islamabad. The nation opened its eyes to the heartbreaking and shocking news of 14 newborn babies dying of suffocation and burns as the nursery caught fire. The cause for now seems to point to the lack of maintanance of the air conditioners which resulted in a short circuit. Worse was the fact that there were no emergency measures that the staff was trained for, while all the emergency exits were locked. Oxygen cylinders that had been standing in the corner for some time also helped spread the fire rapidly. Before anyone could do anything the nursery ward – in fact the whole third floor of the Gynacological Ward – had been reduced to smoke and dust. Everything had melted and burnt. The babies were all gone – except just one miraculous survivor.
And yet Idris says not one person representing the federal government has bothered to contact them to express grief over their heartbreak. The Secretary of Health has announced that he will sit at the PIMS Hospital and listen to the people’s problems once he disposes of official matters at the ministry. The Governor of Punjab, however, Sardar Saleem Haider Khan did contact Idris Khan to express his condolences.
An inquiry committee has already been formed by the Prime Minister which is to submit its report within five days. Meanwhile, the Federal Law Minister has indicated that an interim report regarding the incident will come to light in the next two days.
“The fire was an accident, but why was the rescue so late?” Idris questions. “All these babies could have been saved if the rescue officials had arrived on time; none of the parents would have been bereft of their children today. Maybe if the government cannot operate this hospital they should close it down.”
Possibly because of the body’s condition, his baby too was not handed over initially by the administration to the family. When he was given over to them finally they buried their son as soon as they could.
“My wife is in severe pain and trauma,” he said. “I am now praying for her health.
Inquiry committee work commences
As the work of the inquiry committee starts, the statements of more than 30 employees of PIMS Hospital have been recorded, including the statements of the Executive Director and Joint Executive Directors; duty doctors and nurses; and the 18 security guards deployed at Children’s Hospital and Mother and Child Hospital.
The committe also recorded the statements of the Director Medical and Non-Medical, and asked for written statements from the hospital staff. The biometric record of the staff on duty at the time of the accident was also checked while the PIMS electro-medical report was also submitted to the committee.
They also took photos and videos of the neonatal nursery, inspected the CCTV footage and the corridors of the old and new maternal and child blocks. The report will be submitted to the Prime Minister.
PIMS forms own committee
PIMS formed another committee of their own for a report. The PIMS Administration’s Deputy Executive Director Dr. AneEza Jaleel is also a member of the committee. Dr. AneEza Jaleel herself recorded her statement before the committee formed by the Prime Minister and signed this notification.
Professor Dr. Atif Inam Shami was appointed Chairman of the four-member investigation committee, which was reconstituted due to the leave of Professor Qasim Mahmood Bhutta, with instructions to submit their report within 48 hours. The PIMS committee will review the actual cause of fire and fire safety measures; the effectiveness of rescue operation and response time will also be examined, strict action will be recommended after identifying those responsible for the incident.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of Health, Captain (R) Muhammad Mahmood, said that from Thursday, the temporary tent office established in the lawn of PIMS had started working.
“I will remain present here myself, after disposing of necessary matters in the Health Ministry,” he said, “I will sit in the tent daily, to resolve PIMS issues and ensure convenience to patients.”
He said that bringing forth a resolution for administrative issues was his top priority.
“Hopefully the high-level committee will soon determine the cause of the fire and present the report to the Prime Minister,” he said. “We share the grief of the parents of the newborns who died in the fire and effective measures will be taken in the future to prevent such tragic incidents. We will try to upgrade PIMS’s infrastructure according to international standards. Immediate attention will be given to improving governance and administrative reforms at PIMS. Modern technology will be utilized for solving PIMS’s issues and improving services,” he promised.
Meanwhile Federal Law Minister, Azam Nazir Tarar said that the interim report on the PIMS accident was expected by Friday.
“By tomorrow, many things will become clear,” he said. “There is no compensation for human life, but the committee will see to those responsible. Health Minister Mustafa Kamal presented himself for accountability yesterday too.”
In the Assembly, Dr. Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto of the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) submitted a calling attention notice on the extremely tragic and serious fire incident at PIMS Hospital’s nursery ward.
The notice said that the incident was a very serious and concerning matter, resulting in the loss of precious lives of innocent newborn children. The incident has raised several important questions regarding safety arrangements, administrative negligence, and emergency response in hospitals. An immediate debate should be held in the National Assembly on this extremely serious incident so that facts can be brought forward, responsibility determined, and effective measures ensured to prevent such heartbreaking incidents in the future.
At the end of the day however it is the parents, like Idris Khan, who must bear the cost.