ISLAMABAD: Days after a devastating fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) killed 14 newborn babies, Islamabad authorities have launched a wider crackdown on fire and life safety violations, imposing fines of Rs500,000 each, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Polyclinic and CDA Capital Hospital.
The action against three major healthcare institutions comes as the Capital Development Authority (CDA) intensifies inspections across Islamabad following the August 26 nursery tragedy, which exposed serious questions about fire preparedness and emergency safety arrangements at one of Pakistan’s largest public hospitals.
The CDA said the three hospitals were penalised for “non-compliance with Fire and Life Safety Requirements.”
The enforcement drive has also led to the sealing of several high-rise buildings in Islamabad’s Blue Area and the partial sealing of two hotels, signalling a significantly tougher response by the civic agency after the deaths of the newborns at Pims.
PIMS tragedy puts hospital fire safety under intense scrutiny
The deaths of 14 newborn babies in the PIMS nursery fire have brought the issue of hospital fire safety sharply into the national spotlight.
Questions are now being raised not only about what happened inside the affected nursery but also about whether Islamabad’s major hospitals and other public institutions had adequate systems in place to prevent fires, evacuate vulnerable patients and respond effectively during an emergency.
The subsequent action against PIMS itself is particularly significant, as the hospital where the tragedy occurred has now been fined alongside Polyclinic and CDA Capital Hospital over fire and life safety compliance.
A petition filed before the Islamabad High Court has further alleged that PIMS did not have a fire safety no-objection certificate from the relevant fire department and claimed that commercial, educational and medical buildings across Islamabad were operating without mandatory fire safety NOCs.
The allegations are now part of a broader debate over whether Pakistan’s capital had been adequately enforcing fire safety regulations before the tragedy.
CDA launches wider enforcement operation
Following the PIMS fire, the CDA said it had intensified enforcement of fire and life safety standards across Islamabad and declared the protection of human lives its top priority.
As part of the operation, the authority sealed several prominent high-rise buildings in Blue Area, including Shaheed-i-Millat Building, State Life Building, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan Building and Beverly Centre.
Two hotels were also partially sealed, with authorities stopping further guest intake.
The CDA said its Fire and Emergency Services Directorate had been carrying out inspections to identify deficiencies related to fire prevention systems, emergency exits, firefighting arrangements, evacuation preparedness and other essential life safety measures.
According to the civic agency, buildings and institutions had previously been issued fire safety observations and were expected to rectify deficiencies within the prescribed timeframe.
‘Zero tolerance’ after the nursery disaster
CDA Chairman Sohail Ashraf has directed relevant departments to adopt what the authority described as a zero-tolerance approach towards serious fire safety violations.
The chairman said no building, institution or organisation should be allowed to compromise public safety by ignoring essential fire prevention and emergency response requirements.
The CDA has also been directed to maintain close monitoring and ensure that identified safety deficiencies are followed by effective corrective measures.
The crackdown has renewed attention on a critical question raised by the Pims disaster: were Pakistan’s hospitals and other major public buildings being adequately monitored before 14 newborn lives were lost?
For hospitals, the stakes are particularly high. Unlike ordinary commercial buildings, healthcare facilities must protect patients who may be unable to evacuate independently, including newborns in nurseries and neonatal units, critically ill patients, people on life-support systems and those undergoing treatment.
That makes functioning fire detection systems, firefighting equipment, accessible emergency exits and well-rehearsed evacuation procedures central to patient safety.
IHC petition challenges enforcement of fire safety laws
Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court has been approached over the alleged failure to implement fire safety laws in the capital.
Citizen Malik Naveed Ashiq Awan, through counsel Advocate Afrasiab Ahmed Rana, filed a petition naming several federal and Islamabad authorities as respondents.
The petition argued that the deaths of the 14 newborn babies at PIMS had raised serious concerns about fire safety arrangements and enforcement mechanisms across Islamabad.
It also alleged that numerous commercial, educational and medical buildings were operating without mandatory fire safety clearances.
The latest fines imposed on PIMS, Polyclinic and CDA Capital Hospital now place Islamabad’s healthcare infrastructure at the centre of the post-tragedy enforcement campaign.
Whether the crackdown results in lasting improvements to hospital fire prevention and emergency preparedness — rather than temporary action after a national tragedy — is likely to remain the defining question in the days ahead.
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