ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the immediate suspension of eight officials, including the executive director of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), and directed that those identified by an inquiry committee face departmental as well as criminal proceedings over the devastating nursery fire that killed newborn babies.
The decision was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by the prime minister in Lahore after the inquiry committee presented its interim report into the August 26 tragedy at the Mother and Child Healthcare Centre at PIMS.
According to an official statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office and details presented during the meeting, the preliminary investigation identified serious failures in emergency preparedness, supervision, fire safety and hospital management.
The inquiry also found that the fire engulfed the affected ward within approximately two minutes, while an emergency call was made six minutes after the blaze began and the first emergency response reportedly reached the hospital 15 minutes after the call.
A roughly two-minute CCTV recording of the incident was also played during the high-level meeting as the inquiry committee briefed the prime minister on its preliminary findings.
The findings have transformed the PIMS tragedy from a question about how a fire started into a wider investigation into whether failures in hospital safety systems, emergency preparedness, supervision and management contributed to the scale of the disaster.
Eight officials suspended as PM orders criminal proceedings
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the immediate suspension of eight officials identified by the inquiry committee and directed that action be taken against those considered responsible under both departmental rules and criminal law.
The suspended officials include:
- PIMS Executive Director Prof Dr Imran Sikandar
- Joint Executive Director Dr Mutahir Shah
- Joint Executive Director Dr Chaudhry Waris Ali Shah
- Head of the neonatal department Prof Dr Sadia Riaz
- Senior Registrar Dr Nagham
- Dr Naushila Amjad
- PIMS Assistant Director Security Mohammad Usman
- CDA Emergency Services Director General Dr Abdulrehman
The prime minister also approved action against the private company responsible for providing security services at the hospital as well as its relevant officials.
Shehbaz Sharif directed authorities to proceed without discrimination and said those found responsible for criminal negligence would not be shown any leniency.
He said those responsible for the tragedy would be brought to justice and directed that they face exemplary action so that negligence of this nature was not repeated.
The prime minister also ordered the immediate and simultaneous appointment of replacement officials for those removed from their positions to ensure that hospital administration and essential functions were not disrupted.
PM says criminal negligence will not be tolerated
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described the deaths of the newborn children as an extremely painful tragedy over which the entire nation was grieving.
He expressed solidarity with the parents and families of the children and said the entire nation shared their grief.
The prime minister said people found responsible for criminal negligence were not entitled to any concession and would be brought to justice.
He said exemplary punishment would be pursued against those responsible so that no mother would ever again lose her child because of someone’s criminal negligence.
The remarks represent one of the strongest public statements of accountability by the federal government since the PIMS fire.
Interim report points to major emergency preparedness failures
One of the most significant findings presented to the prime minister was the reported absence of detailed standard operating procedures and training for fires and other emergency situations at PIMS.
According to the briefing, PIMS had 13 standard operating procedures, but references to fire or emergency situations were found in only two subsections.
The meeting was told that the hospital had no comprehensive emergency-response framework capable of properly preparing staff to deal with a major fire or similar emergency.
There was also no detailed training system specifically designed to prepare hospital personnel for an emergency inside a highly vulnerable area such as a neonatal ward.
The preliminary findings further showed that supervisory staff were not on duty when the fire broke out.
According to the inquiry briefing, only two nurses, a female guard and a house officer were present in the ward at the time.
The fire then spread with extraordinary speed.
Investigators told the meeting that the blaze engulfed the entire ward within approximately two minutes.
Two-minute CCTV footage shown to PM
During the meeting, officials also played approximately two minutes of CCTV footage covering the incident.
The footage formed part of the evidence examined by the inquiry committee and was presented as officials reconstructed how quickly the emergency developed.
The extremely short period in which the fire spread across the ward is expected to become a critical component of the final investigation, particularly when assessing the adequacy of fire detection systems, evacuation arrangements, staff response and emergency preparedness.
The inquiry will also need to determine whether earlier detection or more effective safety infrastructure could have altered the outcome.
No fire alarm or sprinkler system in affected ward
The inquiry briefing revealed further serious concerns about the fire-safety infrastructure inside the affected neonatal unit.
According to the findings presented to the prime minister, the ward had no fire alarm system and no sprinkler system.
The neonatal ward was also found to be in violation of relevant World Health Organisation rules, according to the briefing.
The meeting was told that PIMS had no dedicated officer specifically responsible for managing fire safety or emergency preparedness.
Instead, an assistant director had reportedly been assigned fire and emergency responsibilities as an additional charge.
These findings raise major questions about whether a hospital treating critically ill and highly dependent newborns had adequate systems in place to detect, contain and respond to a fire.
Newborns inside incubators cannot independently escape an emergency and may depend on oxygen, respiratory support and continuous medical care, making fire detection and rapid evacuation particularly critical.
Emergency call made six minutes after fire began
The inquiry has also brought fresh attention to the timeline of the emergency response.
According to the briefing, emergency services were contacted six minutes after the fire broke out.
The first emergency response reportedly arrived at PIMS 15 minutes after that call.
The exact response timeline had been one of the major questions surrounding the tragedy, with earlier accounts differing over when the fire started and how quickly firefighters reached the hospital.
The interim inquiry findings now provide the most detailed official account yet of the sequence presented directly to the prime minister.
The final investigation will be expected to establish the complete timeline, including when the fire was first detected, who raised the alarm, when hospital authorities contacted emergency services and what happened during the critical minutes before rescue teams arrived.
Nurse saves newborn moments before ward is engulfed
Amid the devastating findings, the inquiry highlighted the actions of nurse Razia Noreen, who reportedly saved one newborn moments before the fire engulfed the ward.
According to the briefing, Razia Noreen rushed into the danger area despite the rapidly spreading fire and rescued a baby shortly before the ward was overwhelmed.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the nurse for displaying extraordinary responsibility and humanity while placing her own life at risk.
He said the entire nation, including himself, was proud of Razia Noreen for saving the child despite the danger she faced.
The prime minister said people who demonstrated such commitment to duty deserved the highest appreciation.
Razia Noreen awarded Sitara-i-Khidmat and Rs10 million
In recognition of her actions, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the Sitara-i-Khidmat for nurse Razia Noreen.
He also approved a Rs10 million cash reward for her.
The recognition represents one of the most significant individual commendations announced following the tragedy and distinguishes the nurse’s conduct from the failures identified elsewhere in the inquiry.
Hospital officials said 15 newborns were present in the ward when the fire broke out and one baby was rescued.
The casualty figure has been reported differently by various authorities during the investigation, with official accounts earlier citing 14 newborn deaths, while other reports placed the toll at 15.
The final casualty record is expected to be established through official hospital and investigation records.
Nurse and female guard made OSDs for further investigation
The government has also directed further investigation into another nurse present in the affected ward and a female guard.
Both have reportedly been made Officers on Special Duty (OSDs) pending further inquiry.
The decision suggests investigators are continuing to examine the actions and responsibilities of personnel who were physically present during the emergency.
The final inquiry will be expected to determine the exact role played by each individual and whether any staff member failed to follow required procedures or could reasonably have taken additional action during the emergency.
Earlier fire at PIMS reportedly failed to trigger major safety action
The inquiry briefing also revealed that a fire had reportedly occurred at the PIMS nursing hostel in July, only around one month before the deadly nursery blaze.
However, the meeting was told that serious hospital-wide safety measures were not introduced even after that earlier incident.
The reported failure to strengthen emergency preparedness following a previous fire is likely to become an important component of the wider accountability investigation.
It raises the question of whether warning signs existed before the August tragedy and whether opportunities to improve fire safety were missed.
Investigators may now examine what action, if any, was recommended after the July fire, who was responsible for implementing those measures and why broader safety reforms were apparently not undertaken.
Inquiry highlights dilapidated condition and mismanagement at PIMS
The prime minister was also briefed on the deteriorated physical condition of the hospital and wider administrative mismanagement at PIMS.
This expands the inquiry beyond the immediate circumstances surrounding the neonatal ward fire.
The findings suggest investigators are examining whether broader institutional weaknesses, including poor infrastructure, inadequate administration and lack of systematic safety management, created conditions in which a major emergency could become catastrophic.
The condition and management of Pakistan’s largest federal public-sector hospital are therefore expected to remain under scrutiny even after responsibility for the immediate incident is determined.
Acting executive director appointed
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed that Dr Mohammad Salman, chief executive officer of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), be appointed acting executive director of PIMS.
The government also ordered the immediate and simultaneous appointment of replacement officials for those removed from their positions.
The move signals an attempt to prevent an administrative vacuum at the country’s largest public-sector hospital in the federal capital while investigations, disciplinary proceedings and criminal action continue.
Inquiry report ordered to be made public
The prime minister directed that the inquiry committee’s interim report be made public immediately.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the report was to be uploaded to the Ministry of National Health Services website.
The public release of the document is particularly important because it will allow families, journalists, parliamentarians, healthcare professionals and the wider public to examine the findings and recommendations that led to the government’s decision to suspend senior officials and initiate criminal proceedings.
Publication of the report could also provide greater clarity regarding the evidence collected by investigators, the timeline of the fire and the specific failures attributed to various departments and officials.
Shahid Khan-led committee ordered to complete detailed investigation
The inquiry committee is headed by former interior secretary Shahid Khan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Shahid Khan and the other members of the committee for their work on the interim investigation.
He directed the committee to complete its investigation and submit a more detailed report covering the tragedy and the failures identified during the preliminary inquiry.
The detailed report will be expected to go beyond immediate administrative action and establish the precise cause of the fire, institutional responsibility, the emergency-response sequence and whether criminal negligence can be established against specific individuals.
The high-level meeting was attended by senior federal ministers, members of the inquiry committee and other relevant officials.
For families who lost newborns, however, the central question remains whether the deaths could have been prevented.
The suspensions, OSD orders and direction for departmental and criminal proceedings represent the beginning of the accountability process, not its conclusion.
The detailed inquiry will now need to establish the exact cause of the fire, the complete chain of responsibility, the actions of hospital and emergency personnel, whether warning signs were ignored and whether criminal negligence contributed to the deaths.
For the parents mourning newborn children, the ultimate test will be whether those responsible are actually held accountable — and whether the findings lead to reforms strong enough to ensure that no family faces a similar tragedy again.
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