Fourteen infants were killed on Wednesday morning in a fire at the gynaecology ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), Islamabad’s premier public hospital.

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said that the incident occurred at 6:45am due to a “blast in the air conditioner” inside the ward and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif swiftly removed the federal health secretary as an inquiry was launched.

The incident came three years after four patients died at Pims’ emergency ward over a period of two days, with the deaths being attributed to suffocating heat caused by the non-functional air conditioning system.

The then ad-hoc system at the hospital was blamed for the deaths in June 2023. Some of the attendants were also reported to have fainted due to the heat.

A year later, the adviser to the federal ombudsperson visited the facility. The visit was disrupted by a protest organised by young doctors, who accused the management of trying to mislead the delegation through some stopgap measures, such as whitewashing of the building.

The young doctors, who had organised the protest, blamed the executive director, Rana Imran Sikander, for the alleged mismanagement at the hospital as well as the deficiency of facilities, even in the intensive care unit.

For its part, the ombudsperson had directed the management to hire staff on vacant posts and take measures such as installing fans in wards to facilitate patients at the hospital, which was in dismal condition when the team visited.

Now, two years later, politicians and journalists are demanding accountability after the deaths of 14 children at the hospital, terming the incident an outcome of “criminal negligence”.

PPP leader Senator Sherry Rehman called the incident “beyond shocking” and held that it was a “deep stain of shame on the entire ministry and the rot within”.

“This is where citizens are sent to heal in the federal capital?” Rehman asked as she called for justice for the lives lost.

Awaam Pakistan leader and former finance minister Miftah Ismail called for a “full investigation” into the incident.

“This is beyond tragic. This is criminal negligence. There should be full investigation and accountability and heads must roll,” he said.

PPP Chairman and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari wrote on X: “Mothers do not keep their children in the womb for nine months just so that, due to someone’s negligence, they burn alive as soon as they are born.”

Describing the incident as “one of the most horrific tragedies in human history”, he said: “The helpless fathers, whose lamps of hope were extinguished the very instant they were lit, are seeking justice.”

Journalist Fahd Husain said that the incident was “not just a tragedy but a crime committed by all those who are entrusted with running the hospital and their bosses”.

He held that it was a “by-product of atrocious governance, criminal apathy and inefficient government machinery that is rotten to the core”.

Assailing the authorities, Husain said that statements from leaders expressing “afsos” (grief) over the incident were nothing but “salt [in the] wounds by these very people”.

Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan leader and former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said PM Shehbaz taking notice of the fire was “simply not enough” as the incident was the result of “criminal negligence”.

“Fourteen infants losing their lives in an incident which could have been prevented by better management and oversight, can’t be shrugged off,” Khokhar said.

Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) chief and leader of the opposition in the Senate, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, expressed sorrow at the deaths of the infants, saying that the incident must not be “dismissed as a mere accident and ignored”.

“This tragedy raises doubts over the security arrangements, administrative supervision and government priorities in hospitals,” he said.

Calling the incident a “failure on the part of the system of governance,” he called for an “immediate, transparent, impartial and high-level” investigation and for the hospital administration, along with relevant authorities, to be held accountable.

He also called for an investigation into the alleged late arrival of rescue teams and the immediate resignation of the health minister.

PPP lawmaker Sharmila Faruqui also called on the health minister to tender his resignation immediately.

“If there is any such thing left as political and moral responsibility in this country, then Health Minister Mustafa Kamal should immediately tender his resignation,” she said.

Referring to the federal health secretary’s dismissal, she maintained that he was being used “as a scapegoat to absolve the health minister of his responsibility”, adding that the hospitals in Islamabad were under Kamal’s “direct responsibility”.

“When he cannot ensure basic management, oversight, and patient safety in the hospitals under his administration, then what justification remains for running the health ministry?”

National Democratic Movement leader Bushra Gohar called for the hospital administration to be held accountable and for the health minister to accept responsibility and resign.

“Compensation to grieving families cannot be used to silence them or substitute for justice. The families deserve accountability, transparency and justice not hush money,” she wrote.

Dawn journalist Baqir Sajjad Syed said the children “were entrusted to the hospital for care and protection, not to lose their lives to a preventable tragedy”.

He noted that the lack of safety measures and regulatory oversight made the loss “even more painful”.

“Who can now remedy the agony of parents who lost their newborns?” he asked.

“This is too tragic. Very painful,” said former Sindh governor Mohammad Zubair.

“This government can’t even manage a hospital in Islamabad,” he said.

Journalist Hasnaat Malik referred to a recent statement by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, saying: “We have been told that good governance would come through establishing small units.

“But why there is no ‘good governance’ in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). Pims tragedy is the classic example of criminal negligence, bad governance and maladministration,” he said.

“Fourteen infants have been burnt to death in a fire in Islamabad’s largest public sector hospital, in Pakistan’s capital and its premier showcase of modern urban life. Let that sink in,” said journalist Iftikhar Firdous.

“Apathy cannot be repackaged as endurance and sold to the public after every national tragedy. Stop romanticising the suffering of your own people and fix the system,” he said.

Journalist Talat Hussain said the “soul-destroying tragedy” was human-made.

“No excuse can shift responsibility from the government’s doorstep. Criminal negligence and apathy,” he added.

Journalist Asma Shirazi called for the formation of a parliamentary committee under the leadership of the opposition to investigate the incident

“Removing the health secretary will not solve the problem,” she said.

Journalist Yusra Askari said that no words, no visits and no compensation would give the bereaved families patience.

“Those responsible for mammoth negligence have to be held accountable,” she said.

Journalist Fereeha Idrees criticised the government for its failure to protect babies “in the most central hospital in the federal territory”.

Objecting to statements issued by the authorities, she said: “With due respect, just by writing ‘strict’ in every word doesn’t entail strict action. What strict action has the PM taken, please? Only secretary health removed and [an] emergency meeting called by [the] PM. Is this strict action?”

She asserted that the government had failed to protect the lives of the children.

Journalist Zarrar Khuhro appeared to be criticising the authorities’ response, saying: “‘Condemn, condole, compensate’ along with, of course, a few token suspensions. This is always the protocol no matter how great the tragedy.”

Header image: An ambulance transporting the remains of a child drives past police following a fire outside the Mother and Child Health (MCH) ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital in Islamabad on August 26, 2026. — AFP