Story summary
14 newborn babies were killed in a fire that broke out at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, on August 26th. The fire started in an air-conditioning unit on the third floor of the mother and child ward, which was fueled by oxygen being administered to babies in incubators.
According to reports, there were at least 15 newborns in the nursery when the fire broke out, but only one baby was rescued. Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal confirmed that 14 babies had died, and said that the cause of the fire was a "blast in the air conditioner" that ignited a blaze.
The hospital's administration has launched an investigation into the incident, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an immediate inquiry. President Asif Ali Zardari also offered condolences to the families of the victims, describing the deaths as "heartbreaking and an irreparable loss".
Witnesses reported that there was a long wait for rescue workers to arrive, and some parents said they were forced to smash through windows to try and get to their babies. The incident has sparked outrage and calls for accountability, with lawmakers demanding reforms in the country's health sector.
The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, but initial reports suggest that it may have been caused by a technical fault or negligence on the part of hospital staff.
Written for “Fire in Pakistan Hospital” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 8 other(s) covering the same event.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sought the report submitted to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and details of the action taken, while also questioning the culpability of the hospital’s executive director (ED).
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Court → seek → director
Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar passed the directions while hearing two separate petitions related to the Pims tragedy.
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Dogar → pass → tragedy
During the hearing of a petition filed by lawyer Qasim Iqbal Jalali seeking a judicial inquiry into the incident, Additional Attorney General (AAG) Rashid Hafeez, Deputy Attorney General Faisal Irfan and Assistant Attorney General Azmat Bashir Tarar appeared before the court.
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Hafeez → file → court
Justice Dogar termed the Pims fire a “terrible incident” and observed that the loss of 14 children was extremely serious.
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loss → term → children
The petitioner’s counsel argued that the government had constituted committees comprising bureaucrats, questioning how the officials of one department could conduct an inquiry into their own colleagues.
“How can bureaucrats inquire into their own department?” the counsel asked.
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counsel → argue → department
The chief justice questioned the legal basis of the request for a judicial inquiry, asking the lawyer under which law the court could order such an inquiry and where the Inquiry Act empowered the IHC to issue such directives.
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Act → question → directives
The counsel referred to the commission constituted after the Punjab Institute of Cardiology incident.
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counsel → refer → incident
The chief justice observed that the said commission had not been constituted by the court, adding that such matters fell within the government’s domain.
“If there is any matter with us, I will ask one of my judges to look into it,” Justice Dogar remarked.
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Dogar → observe → it
The counsel maintained that “no one can be the judge of his own actions” and argued that responsibility had not been fixed in the inquiry report submitted so far.
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responsibility → maintain → report
AAG Hafeez informed the court that the health secretary had been suspended on the day of the incident, while hospital officials had subsequently been suspended on the basis of an interim inquiry report.
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officials → inform → report
Justice Dogar again termed the incident extremely tragic and asked whether any action was still being taken and whether there was any restriction preventing the court from passing an order.
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action → term → order
The court sought the report submitted to the prime minister, along with details of the action taken so far and directed the federation to submit a detailed response.
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court → seek → response
A separate petition also sought removal of the Pims ED from office — who has already been suspended — and action over the tragedy.
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who → seek → tragedy
The petitioner’s counsel highlighted the conditions at the hospital and questioned the utilisation of its massive budget.
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counsel → highlight → budget
The counsel told the court that the deaths of the children were horrific and requested that the Pims ED be removed from his post.
“How can the court give a direction to remove him from the post?” Chief Justice Dogar asked.
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Dogar → tell → post
The counsel contended that Pims has an annual budget of around Rs20 to Rs22 billion, yet several children were being accommodated on a single bed.
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children → contend → bed
He questioned where the budget was being spent and urged the court to order the executive director’s removal and return his services to his parent department.
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budget → question → department
The chief justice observed that he believed the Pims ED had already been removed from the post, referring to the prime minister’s orders to suspend Prof Dr Imran Sikandar and seven others.
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ED → observe → Sikandar
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Chief Executive Officer Dr Mohammad Salman has taken charge of the post after being appointed as the acting Pims ED.
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Salman → take → ED
The counsel replied that although the ED had been removed, no responsibility had been fixed against him and he had not been held responsible in the inquiry report either.
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he → reply → report
AAG Hafeez told the court that the report currently available was only an interim report and that the complete inquiry report would be submitted within five days.
The chief justice specifically asked whether responsibility had so far been fixed against the Pims ED.
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responsibility → tell → ED
The court sought a report on the matter and adjourned the hearing.
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court → seek → hearing
CDA response sought over alleged lack of safety NOCs
Separately, the IHC has sought a response from the federal capital’s administration over the alleged non-implementation of fire safety laws and regulations in Islamabad.
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IHC → seek → Islamabad
Justice Dogar heard the petition filed by citizen Malik Naveed Ashiq Awan through his counsel, Advocate Afrasiab Ahmed Rana.
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Dogar → hear → counsel
The petition was filed in the wake of the Pims incident.
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petition → file → incident
The petitioner contended that even a major healthcare facility such as Pims did not have the requisite fire department no-objection certificate (NOC).
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facility → contend → certificate
The petition further alleged that commercial, educational and medical buildings across Islamabad were operating without fire safety NOCs and that several buildings lacked essential fire-fighting equipment, emergency exits and fire alarms.
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buildings → allege → equipment
The petitioner pleaded that the Islamabad Fire Prevention and Life Safety Regulations 2010 should be implemented in letter and spirit.
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Regulations → plead → letter
The petition sought directions for an immediate fire safety audit of all buildings in the federal capital and the sealing of buildings operating without valid fire safety NOCs.
It also sought the establishment of a regular inspection mechanism to identify and monitor buildings that are illegal or pose a threat to public safety.
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that → seek → safety
The court issued notices to the home secretary, Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), and the offices of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman and Islamabad chief commissioner — both roles served by retired Lt Sohail Ashraf — seeking their responses.
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court → issue → responses
The petition maintained that the Pims fire had exposed serious shortcomings in the enforcement of fire safety regulations and called for immediate institutional action to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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fire → maintain → future
Following the Pims incident, CDA intensified enforcement of fire and life safety regulations across Islamabad, sealing several high-rise buildings and partially sealing two hotels in Blue Area.
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CDA → follow → Area
It also imposed a fine of Rs500,000 each on Pims, Polyclinic and its own Capital Hospital for “non-compliance with Fire and Life Safety Requirements”.
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It → impose → Requirements
Final inquiry report awaited
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said that the inquiry committee’s investigation into the Pims incident had not been completed yet.
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investigation → await → incident
Speaking to the media in Islamabad, he said the inquiry was ongoing, not just into the gynaecology department but into all departments of the hospital.
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inquiry → speak → hospital
“More names can come up in the final report.
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names → come → report
Anyone found guilty of negligence will be punished,” Chaudhry said.
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Chaudhry → find → negligence
Acknowledging that “the innocent lives lost cannot be brought back”, the minister stressed that action against those responsible was essential to avoid similar incidents in the future.
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action → acknowledge → future
Speaking on behalf of PM Shehbaz, Chaudhry vowed that zero tolerance would be shown towards those found guilty of negligence.
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tolerance → speak → negligence
Safety arrangements and precautions at Pims were being closely monitored by the health ministry, he told the media.
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he → monitor → media
