Islamabad, August 29, 2026: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the immediate suspension of eight officials named in the interim inquiry into the deadly fire at the gynaecology ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), which claimed the lives of 14 newborns, and directed that criminal proceedings be initiated against those found responsible.
The directives were issued during a high-level meeting chaired by the prime minister to review the tragedy, where the inquiry committee presented its interim report and a CCTV recording of the incident was also shown.
Fourteen infants died after a fire broke out in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Pims on Wednesday morning. According to hospital officials, 15 newborns were present in the nursery when the fire started, with only one infant rescued.
The prime minister directed that all eight officials identified in the interim report be suspended immediately and that departmental as well as criminal proceedings be initiated against them under the relevant laws.
He ordered that action be taken without discrimination and stressed that those found guilty of criminal negligence would not be given any concession.
Those named in the inquiry include Pims Executive Director Professor Dr Imran Sikandar; Joint Executive Directors Dr Mutahir Shah and Dr Owais Ali Shah; Head of the Neonatal Department Professor Dr Sadia Riaz; Senior Registrar Dr Naghma; Dr Nosheela Amjad; Pims Assistant Director Security Muhammad Usman; and CDA Emergency Services Director General Dr Abdul Rehman.
The prime minister also approved action against the security company deployed at the hospital and its officials. He directed that officials removed from their posts be replaced immediately and simultaneously.
Dr Muhammad Salman, Chief Executive Officer of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was directed to assume charge as acting executive director of Pims.
Inquiry exposes serious fire-safety lapses
The interim inquiry report highlighted serious deficiencies in Pims’ emergency preparedness, fire-safety arrangements and administrative systems.
The meeting was informed that the hospital did not have detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) or dedicated training covering fire and other emergency situations. Of the hospital’s 13 SOPs, only two subsections contained references to fire or emergency situations.
The report also found that supervisory staff were not present on duty when the fire broke out.
According to the briefing, only two nurses, a female security guard and a house officer were present in the ward at the time. The fire reportedly spread through and engulfed the entire ward within approximately two minutes.
One of the nurses reportedly risked her life to rescue a newborn before the flames spread across the ward.
The inquiry found that emergency services were called six minutes after the fire started, while the first emergency response reached the scene 15 minutes after the call.
No dedicated emergency officer at Pims
The meeting was informed that Pims had no dedicated officer responsible for handling emergencies such as fires. Instead, the assistant director had been given the additional responsibility.
The prime minister was also briefed about the hospital’s deteriorating physical condition and what the inquiry described as administrative mismanagement.
The briefing revealed that a fire had also broken out at the Pims nursing hostel in July, about a month before the NICU tragedy, but adequate measures were not taken to address safety concerns following that incident.
The neonatal ward had neither a fire alarm nor a sprinkler system, the meeting was told.
The inquiry further identified violations of relevant World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines concerning neonatal wards.
Nurse to receive Sitara-e-Khidmat
PM Shehbaz approved the conferment of the Sitara-e-Khidmat on the nurse who risked her life to save a newborn during the fire.
He also ordered that another nurse and the female security guard who were present in the ward be placed on special duty (OSD) and directed that further investigations be conducted.
The prime minister said those found responsible for criminal negligence would face exemplary punishment.
“Those responsible for this incident will be brought to justice,” he said.
Describing the deaths of the infants as a deeply tragic incident, PM Shehbaz said the entire nation was grieving and expressed sympathy with the bereaved parents and families.
He said exemplary punishment would be ensured for those responsible so that no mother would again be separated from her child because of criminal negligence.
The prime minister directed the relevant authorities to continue the investigation and ensure that accountability, safety reforms and emergency preparedness measures were implemented to prevent such a tragedy from recurring.
