PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader and MNA Shandana Gulzar Khan has alleged that the federal government is concealing the actual number of children killed and injured in the fire at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), Islamabad.

Speaking at a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Saturday, along with noted lawyer Moazam Butt, she claimed that the parents of more than 50 children, who were either killed or injured in the incident, were being harassed and pressured to remain silent.

“Neither the actual number of children who died in the Pims fire nor the facts surrounding the incident are being disclosed,” she alleged, demanding that the federal government make public complete details of the victims.

Ms Gulzar alleged that the federal health minister and government officials were misleading the public by providing incorrect information both on the floor of the National Assembly and through the media.

She further claimed that 23 doctors had already expressed no-confidence in the Pims director and had requested an inquiry against him. She alleged that the director was being protected by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and had therefore remained in his position despite the complaints.

Shandana asks govt to make details of fire victims public

The PTI leader demanded an independent inquiry into the Pims incident and publication of the complete record of the children killed or injured in the fire. She also alleged that the government was using state institutions to suppress PTI leaders and workers and that young people were being subjected to violence because of their political affiliation.

“Today, PTI leadership is being kept in jails, and party leaders and workers are also being arrested so that those who speak in support of Imran Khan are silenced,” she alleged.

Referring to the treatment of PTI founder Imran Khan, Ms Gulzar claimed that the government had failed to comply with court orders regarding his medical treatment. She alleged that Mr Khan was supposed to be provided treatment at Shifa International Hospital but was instead taken only to Pims before being returned to jail.

She rejected the government’s claim that PTI workers had blocked routes around Shifa International Hospital, saying that the party had instructed its workers not to gather around the hospital.

The PTI leader also alleged that a young PTI worker in Punjab was burnt alive in broad daylight on 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal and claimed that the incident was not properly reported by the media. She said the country was passing through a critical period and maintained that Mr Khan was needed to “save Pakistan”.

Ms Gulzar also criticised the government over the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, asking how long young people would continue to face violence and deprivation of their rights.

She alleged that she herself was being pressured to distance herself from Mr Khan and PTI in return for having her name removed from the Exit Control List.

Calling for an end to what she described as political victimisation, Ms Gulzar demanded that cases registered against Mr Khan be withdrawn and PTI workers be provided their constitutional rights.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2026