Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the removal of Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghori following the tragic fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad that claimed the lives of at least 14 newborn babies.
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The prime minister also constituted a high-level committee to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident and determine responsibility for the tragedy.
اسلام آباد : 26 اگست 2026.
— Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) August 26, 2026
وزیراعظم محمد شہباز شریف نے پمز ہسپتال کی نرسری میں آتشزدگی کے اندوناک واقعہ میں 14 نومولود جاں بحق ہونے پر گہرے دکھ اور دِلی افسوس کا اظہار کیا. وزیراعظم نے معصوم بچوں کے لواحقین سے دلی اظہار تعزیت کیا۔ وزیراعظم محمد شہباز شریف نے آتشزدگی کے افسوسناک…
The decisions were taken during an emergency meeting chaired by PM Shehbaz following the devastating blaze at the capital’s major public-sector hospital. During the meeting, the premier expressed serious displeasure with officials of PIMS and the Ministry of Health over the incident.
Former interior secretary Shahid Khan will head the inquiry committee, while Secretary Establishment Dr Barrister Nabeel Awan has also been named as a member.
At least 14 infants died after a fire erupted in the gynaecology ward of PIMS on Wednesday, according to hospital officials.
Officials said 16 newborns were present in the nursery when the fire broke out, with only one child reportedly rescued.
Rescue officials said the fire began at around 6:45am after an air-conditioner compressor reportedly exploded inside the nursery, located on the third floor of the MCH ward.
The district administration said 14 children were completely burnt in the blaze. Rescue teams were dispatched after receiving the emergency call, with six fire brigade vehicles and four ambulances participating in the operation.
However, eyewitnesses gave a different account of the emergency response, telling Geo News that fire and rescue teams arrived more than 30 minutes after the fire started. They said hospital staff began asking people to evacuate as the blaze spread.
“We rescued ourselves and our patients,” one elderly eyewitness said. Another eyewitness claimed that hospital staff did not use available firefighting equipment to control the blaze.
Bodies handed over to families
State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said rescue personnel reached PIMS within six minutes of receiving the fire alert.
Talking to reporters in Islamabad, the minister said administrative officers were also present at the hospital following the rescue operation.
He confirmed that the bodies of 14 children had been handed over to their families.
Chaudhry said the initial rescue operation had been completed and its report was submitted to the prime minister and interior minister.
He added that PM Shehbaz had ordered an inquiry into the incident, saying any negligence would be identified during the investigation.
CCTV recordings and other evidence connected to the incident had been secured, he said, adding that investigators would also establish how many doctors and other staff members were present when the fire broke out.
Inquiry committees formed
An inquiry committee headed by the additional deputy commissioner was also formed by the district administration to investigate the incident.
The committee will examine the cause of the fire and determine how the tragedy unfolded.
The MCH ward was sealed following the incident. Parents, meanwhile, alleged that no staff members were present inside the incubation centre when the fire started.
PM Shehbaz had earlier ordered an immediate investigation and directed authorities to take strict action against anyone found responsible.
Expressing sorrow over the deaths, the prime minister described the loss of children as an “irreparable” tragedy and said he shared the grief of the bereaved parents.
He directed officials to undertake a detailed examination of the circumstances surrounding the incident and establish responsibility.
The premier later chaired a high-level meeting on the PIMS nursery fire, where he expressed strong displeasure over the performance of the relevant officials.
During the meeting, he ordered the immediate suspension and removal of Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghori.
Fire spread rapidly
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal told Geo News that the deaths of 14 children had been confirmed.
He said the director general of health and the hospital secretary were present at the facility. Kamal, who was in Karachi at the time, said he was travelling to Islamabad and that authorities were in contact with the affected families.
“The fire spread very quickly,” the minister said, adding that the hospital’s electricity supply was also disrupted immediately following the explosion.
According to Kamal, PIMS Executive Director Rana Imran Sikandar was present at the scene and remained in contact with him throughout the emergency.
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, meanwhile, said the fire was caused by a short circuit and that most of the children died from asphyxiation.
He said doctors, nurses and other hospital employees were present during the incident and remained safe.
Chaudhry attributed the rapid spread of the fire to gas lines and plastic equipment inside the hospital, while oxygen supplies also contributed to the intensity of the blaze.
Fire safety arrangements questioned
Rescue officials described the hospital’s fire safety arrangements as seriously inadequate.
According to rescue sources, there was no water available at the designated fire point and the fire hose was missing couplings.
They also said emergency evacuation routes had been locked, raising questions about the hospital’s preparedness to deal with emergencies.
Rescue sources further claimed that no doctors, ward attendants or other staff members were present inside the incubation centre when the fire started.
A report by the CDA Fire Brigade Department also highlighted shortcomings in fire prevention and life-safety arrangements at PIMS.
The report stated that the fire brigade received information about the incident at 6:55am and that its first vehicle arrived at PIMS within six minutes.
It concluded that the hospital’s fire prevention measures did not comply with prescribed safety standards.
Emergency exits were reportedly found permanently locked from the outside, while obstacles were also present along evacuation routes.
The report further alleged that PIMS security personnel obstructed fire brigade staff during the initial response and that crowd-management arrangements at the scene were insufficient.
Hospital administration’s account
PIMS Executive Director Rana Imran Sikandar said two doctors, four nurses and other staff members were present in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) when the fire broke out.
Speaking to the media, Sikandar said one doctor succeeded in rescuing a newborn during the incident.
He explained that access to the hospital had previously been restricted because of past incidents involving child theft.
The executive director maintained that PIMS had a satisfactory fire safety system in place. He said 24 oxygen cylinders were available at the hospital and denied that rescue personnel had faced obstruction during the operation.
Sikandar said action would be taken against anyone found responsible following the investigation.
Leaders express grief
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed condolences to the families of the newborns, describing the loss of life as heartbreaking and irreparable.
صدرِ مملکت آصف علی زرداری کا پمز اسپتال اسلام آباد آتشزدگی کے افسوسناک واقعے پر گہرے دکھ اور افسوس کا اظہار۔
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) August 26, 2026
صدرِ مملکت کا آتشزدگی کے نتیجے میں نومولود بچوں کے جاں بحق ہونے پر لواحقین سے دلی تعزیت اور ہمدردی کا اظہار۔
نومولود بچوں کی المناک اموات انتہائی دلخراش اور ناقابلِ…
He called for responsibility to be established and legal action to be taken against those found culpable. The president also stressed the need for effective fire safety and emergency arrangements in hospitals, particularly in facilities caring for newborn children.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy and offered condolences to the bereaved families.
Deeply saddened and heartbroken by the tragic fire at the nursery of PIMS Hospital, in which 14 newborns lost their lives.
— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) August 26, 2026
My deepest condolences to the bereaved parents and families. No words can ease the pain of losing an innocent child. May Allah Almighty grant the families…
He said the prime minister’s ordered investigation should establish the causes of the incident and ensure that those responsible faced strict action.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari described the deaths as an unbearable tragedy for the country and expressed solidarity with the affected families.
He demanded an impartial investigation and said the nation should be informed about how such a disaster occurred at a major public hospital.
Bilawal said officials responsible for negligence or failure to protect patients should be held accountable and urged the federal government to strengthen safety arrangements at hospitals under its control.
First Lady and MNA Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari also expressed profound grief over the deaths, describing the loss of newborn lives as deeply distressing.
First Lady Bibi Asifa Bhutto Zardari MNA has expressed profound grief and sorrow over the tragic loss of newborn babies in the fire at PIMS Hospital, Islamabad.
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) August 26, 2026
She conveyed her deepest sympathies to the bereaved families, saying that the loss of innocent newborn lives was…
She called for a swift, transparent and comprehensive investigation into the incident.
PML-N President Nawaz Sharif said he was deeply saddened by the deaths and called for strict action against those responsible, along with measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
پمز ہسپتال میں آتشزدگی کے سانحے میں 14 معصوم بچوں کے جاں بحق ہونے کی خبر سن کر دل رنجیدہ ہے۔ میں غمزدہ والدین کے غم میں برابر کا شریک ہوں۔ اللہ تعالیٰ لواحقین کو صبر جمیل عطا فرمائے۔ حکومت کو ذمہ داروں کا تعین کر کے سخت کارروائی کرنی چاہئے اور آئندہ ایسے واقعات کی روک تھام کو…
— Nawaz Sharif (@NawazSharifMNS) August 26, 2026
Senate Chairman Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani expressed sorrow over the tragedy and offered condolences to the affected families.
He stressed that hospitals must have effective fire safety systems and adequate emergency arrangements, saying negligence in safety measures was unacceptable.
National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq also expressed grief, saying he shared the pain of the parents who lost their children.
اسپیکر قومی اسمبلی سردار ایاز صادق کا پمز ہسپتال کے ایم سی ایچ بلاک کی نرسری میں پیش آنے والے آتشزدگی کے واقعے میں 14 نومولود بچوں کے جانی نقصان پر گہرے دکھ اور افسوس کا اظہار
— National Assembly 🇵🇰 (@NAofPakistan) August 26, 2026
اسپیکر سردار ایاز صادق کا معصوم بچوں کے لواحقین سے دلی ہمدردی اور تعزیت کا اظہار
آتشزدگی کے اندوہ ناک…
UNICEF calls for safety review
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) expressed deep sorrow over the deaths and called for an urgent review of fire prevention and safety standards at healthcare facilities.
The UN agency extended condolences to the bereaved families and stressed that every newborn should have access to healthcare in a safe and secure environment.
UNICEF urged authorities to strengthen fire prevention measures and emergency safety standards across health facilities.
“UNICEF is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of at least 14 newborn lives following a fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad today."
— UNICEF Pakistan (@UNICEF_Pakistan) August 26, 2026
Read our full statement: https://t.co/Ep7TGRfAbb pic.twitter.com/ciW4jNU8Rt
The British High Commission in Pakistan described the incident as heartbreaking and extended its condolences to the families.
Heartbreaking news that at least 14 infants sadly passed away following a terrible fire at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences. Our deepest condolences and thoughts are with the parents and families at this unimaginably difficult time.
— UK in Pakistan 🇬🇧🇵🇰 (@ukinpakistan) August 26, 2026
The French Embassy in Islamabad also expressed deep distress over the loss of newborn lives and conveyed sympathy to all those affected.
🇨🇵🇵🇰
— France in Pakistan 🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@FranceinPak) August 26, 2026
Our hearts go out to the families who lost their newborn children in tragic fire at PIMS in Islamabad. Loss of innocent lives is heartbreaking and deeply distressing. Embassy of France extends its deepest sympathies to bereaved families & everyone affected by this tragedy.
The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) said it was in deep mourning following the incident.
The association said healthcare facilities should protect and save lives, but administrative shortcomings and failures in regulatory oversight could turn hospitals into unsafe environments.
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The PMA called for action against officials whose alleged failure to enforce safety standards contributed to the tragedy.
It also demanded stronger enforcement of fire and building safety codes, improved emergency infrastructure and greater public accountability of authorities responsible for regulating healthcare facilities.
The association further called for institutional support for the grieving parents, including legal, financial and emotional assistance.
