PIMS tragedy: NA forms fact-finding committee

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Friday unanimously passed a resolution condemning the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) tragedy and demanding strict action against those responsible. A special parliamentary committee was also approved unanimously. The deaths of 14 newborns in a fire at PIMS plunged National Assembly into fury and grief, as opposition lawmakers tore into the government over alleged negligence, mismanagement and the failure to protect babies in its premier hospital. The House suspended its routine business to debate the tragedy, which occurred on August 26 in the nursery of PIMS’s Mother and Child Centre. It also passed a resolution expressing grief over the deaths of the infants. Opening the debate, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MNA Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said successive tragedies had followed the same pattern. He said each disaster triggered public outrage, followed by the formation of committees and speeches by politicians, but the issue eventually faded from public view until the next tragedy. He demanded answers over how the fire started, why the newborns were apparently left without adequate supervision and why the nursery doors had been locked. “Were 14 children effectively left to die in the name of protecting them from being stolen, ” he asked, rejecting the government’s explanation that the nursery doors had been locked to prevent kidnappings. He called on the National Assembly Speaker to constitute a parliamentary committee, headed by the Speaker, to establish the facts. Opposition lawmakers then turned their scrutiny to the broader state of healthcare in federal capital, arguing that the PIMS tragedy was not an isolated failure but a symptom of deeper regulatory and administrative shortcomings. Dr Amjad Ali Khan of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said an earlier parliamentary committee had uncovered serious deficiencies, including Basic Health Units (BHUs) operating without doctors. He further alleged that no hospital in Islamabad currently held a valid licence and that regulatory mechanisms had remained largely dysfunctional despite legislation enacted in 2018. He claimed the committee had faced political pressure while preparing its report and had been unable to present its findings to the House even after a year. Asad Qaiser, another PTI lawmaker and former National Assembly speaker, said the PIMS disaster had exposed the wider failures of what he called the country’s worst healthcare system. “If the country’s largest hospital, situated in the capital, could suffer such a catastrophe, ” he asked, “God only knows what the situation is in the rest of the country. ” He demanded the resignation of Health Minister Mustafa Kamal and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as well as criminal proceedings against the PIMS administration. He also took aim at the government’s much-promoted “Shehbaz Speed”, saying the tragedy had exposed its failure to deliver even in the federal capital. Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, another PTI MNA, called for a transparent and impartial investigation, alleging that doctors and nurses were absent when the children were trapped. “Let us make sure that no such incident occurs again after today, ” he said. Government ministers, facing sustained opposition criticism, defended the government’s response while promising accountability. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the prime minister had constituted two committees on the day of the tragedy. One, headed by former interior secretary Shahid Khan, was expected to submit a preliminary report this week, while another, headed by Dr Azhar Kiani, had been given seven days to complete its inquiry. “We are all Pakistanis, and we are all parents, ” Tarar said, urging lawmakers to focus on preventing future tragedies rather than turning the deaths into a political contest. Visibly embarrassed, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal offered no defence for the deaths, conceding that no explanation could justify the loss of 14 newborns and promising action against those found responsible. “Whoever is found responsible will not be spared, ” he said, calling for a joint Senate-National Assembly committee without an arbitrary deadline. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the government had announced Rs5 million in compensation for each affected family, but acknowledged that no amount could compensate for the loss of a child. He urged PTI to end its boycott and participate in parliamentary committee proceedings, arguing that accountability required collective action. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

Read full story on Business Recorder