ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday granted the federation two weeks’ time to submit para-wise comments on petitions challenging the inquiry into the fire incident at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and seeking the removal of its executive director.

Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar was hearing petitions filed by Nasir Azeem, Nasir Mujahid and Dr Mohammad Iqbal.

Additional Attorney General Rashid Hafeez, appearing on behalf of the federation, told the court that the responses of the respondents had not yet been submitted.

When the chief justice pointed out the delay, the law officer sought two to three weeks’ time, saying that the inquiry into the matter was nearing completion and orders from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were awaited.

Law officer says inquiry is nearing completion, orders from PM are awaited

He assured the court that the complete inquiry report and the Federation’s response would be submitted after the process was concluded. The court accepted the request and directed the respondents to submit their para-wise comments by the next hearing.

The proceedings were subsequently adjourned for two weeks.

The August 26 fire at a nursery in Pims’ Mother and Child Hospital had claimed the lives of 14 newborns. The incident raised concerns over fire safety measures and sparked calls for accountability with criminal action being ordered against eight hospital officials.

The inquiry committee formed to probe the deadly fire incident later found “systemic and institutional failure” and determined that an electrical failure was the most likely cause of the blaze.

Headed by former interior secretary Shahid Khan, the committee had been formed on the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and it presented its findings and recommendations in a 43-page report on September 15.

The committee comprised retired Maj Gen Dr Khurshid Uttra, Establishment Division Secretary Dr Barrister Nabeel Awan, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon, and Dr Rashid A. Chotani (co-opted member).

The committee had submitted an interim report on August 29 after which Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered the suspension of eight officials, including the executive director of Pims, and directed that criminal proceedings be initiated against them.

The prime minister specifically directed that those identified by the inquiry committee face not only departmental action but also criminal proceedings under the relevant laws.

He also ordered that criminal proceedings be initiated against those responsible without discrimination and approved action against the company tasked with providing security at the hospital and its officials.

The committee in its final report has concluded that “systemic and institutional failure is established, while individual responsibility varies with the strength of the evidence”.

It added that Pims and its “senior management bear the principal institutional responsibility for failing to convert known risks, prior warnings and assigned duties into an effective safety system”.

“Administrative, disciplinary, contractual and criminal responsibility must attach only where the relevant duty, omission and causal consequence are proved,” the report said.

“The electrical spark explains how the fire began; the institutional system explains why it became a catastrophe.

“Fourteen newborns were lost not because one safeguard failed, but because too many safeguards were absent, weak, delayed or never verified to be working,” the report has declared.

The report pointed out a “history of known but incompletely closed risks”, citing prior warnings.

These included earlier correspondence by the Capital Development Authority (CDA), the Federal Ombudsman’s 2015 findings, Pims’ own 2025 acknowledgement of ageing fire safety infrastructure, and especially the July 6, 2026 Nursing Hostel fire, which had already highlighted deficiencies in detection, alarms, electrical inspection, evacuation, firefighting equipment, drills and emergency planning.

“Yet those warnings had not been converted into a comprehensive, time-bound and independently verified corrective programme before the Nursery fire,” the report regrets.

The committee said its conclusions were based on a structured 52-task investigation drawing upon forensic evidence, CCTV, call records, engineering and maintenance documents, clinical and casualty records, duty and attendance material, witness statements, contracts, regulatory records, and earlier inquiries.

The report said the record disclosed “prima facie grounds for administrative and E&D proceedings against officers where a defined duty, prior knowledge or foreseeability, authority and corresponding act or omission indicate negligence, inefficiency, misconduct, unauthorised absence, failure of supervision or non-performance of assigned safety responsibilities”.

It stressed that final guilt must be determined through due process.

According to the committee, the evidence was “not equally mature against all officers”.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2026