Deaths of 14 newborn babies: PTI demands accountability at highest levels

ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday described the deaths of 14 newborn babies in a fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) as a “devastating failure of governance” and demanded accountability at the highest levels. Speaking at a press conference, PTI leaders Ali Muhammad Khan, Babar Awan and others, rejected the government’s fact-finding committee as another attempt to deflect responsibility. They questioned how such a catastrophe could occur in the country’s premier public-sector hospital and demanded that those responsible for the deaths be removed and prosecuted if found guilty of negligence. “Is the prime minister sitting there merely to take notice of every administrative failure, ” Ali asked, questioning the performance of the PIMS administration, Islamabad administration and Ministry of Health. He said authorities must establish whether the fire was an accident or the result of criminal negligence. The PTI MNA also linked the tragedy to wider concerns about healthcare at PIMS, claiming that the hospital had lacked a facility recommended by its cardiologists for ex-primer Imran Khan on August01. He questioned whether ordinary patients had similarly been denied appropriate specialist care. “Who will be held responsible for the deaths of these innocent children? ” he asked, arguing that some officials at PIMS had become so powerful that removing a prime minister appeared easier than removing them. Ali said the tragedy would eventually fade from public attention but not from the lives of the bereaved parents. He lamented that some families were reportedly denied even the chance to properly see or bid farewell to their children. Awan went further, describing the existing political order as “artificial and fictitious” and saying a system incapable of protecting newborns inside a major hospital was “extremely frightening and outdated”. He demanded compensation of Rs10 million for each affected family, accusing the government of failing to devote adequate public resources to healthcare and security. Shoaib Shaheen, a local PTI leader, rejected the formation of another fact-finding committee, saying such panels had repeatedly been used to delay accountability and consign major tragedies to oblivion. He demanded the removal of the entire PIMS management, the resignation of the health minister and prime minister, and the immediate removal of officials found responsible for criminal negligence. He also questioned why relevant records had not been properly preserved or released and said the possibility of a deliberate conspiracy could not be dismissed without a thorough investigation. Calling the incident a reflection of the deterioration of governance in Islamabad, Shaheen said merely changing a few officials would not suffice. The PTI leaders said the tragedy required fundamental institutional reform rather than another round of official statements, inquiries and assurances. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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