The federal government on Thursday announced Rs5 million compensation for the families of each infant killed in the devastating fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) gynaecology ward.
In a statement, the government said it stood equally in the grief and sorrow of the affected families and would provide them every possible support and assistance.
The government acknowledged that compensation could not replace a human life and described the payment as an attempt to ease the hardships of the bereaved families.
The announcement came a day after fourteen infants died after a fire broke out in the NICU on the third floor of the Mother and Child Health ward at Pims at around 6:45am.
The nursery housed 15 newborns at the time, with only one infant rescued.
Rescue sources said an air-conditioner compressor exploded inside the nursery. However, the Pims administration’s initial report said a nebuliser measuring oxygen quantity alongside an incubator exploded, with video footage showing a flame emerging from an air conditioner.
The report said oxygen subsequently caught fire and smoke travelled through pipes into the infants’ breathing systems, with the children dying after the oxygen supply was cut off and from burns.
Later, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif constituted a high-level four-member inquiry committee to investigate the fire incident, with the government giving a timeline of 48 hours to submit interim report.
‘Investigation ongoing’
Speaking to journalists earlier in the day, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said that an interim inquiry report would be available by today, adding that an independent investigation committee had been constituted to probe the incident.
He said the committee was fully independent and that many things would become clear within a day. He stressed that no human life could be compensated and that what mattered most was fixing responsibility.
He said the committee was reviewing footage to determine whether there had been sufficient response time to save the lives of children dependent on oxygen by removing the oxygen supply.
“These are technical questions on which we should not make any predictions,” he said. He also said Health Minister Mustafa Kamal had presented himself for accountability the previous day.
Meanwhile, sources told Geo News that the PM-constituted committee had received written statements from the Joint Executive Director of Pims and three other officers, and had questioned Pims health management staff.
The committee also obtained written statements from the nursery staff of the children’s hospital and secured CCTV footage from the nursery, which it was reviewing and comparing against the administration’s account of how the fire started.
The committee was also handed the duty roster for August 26 and received reports from both the fire brigade and the emergency department. Sources said the committee would present an interim investigation report to the prime minister within 48 hours.
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Pims hospital lacked a fire safety NOC, while the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority itself had inadequate fire safety arrangements, sources told Geo News on Thursday.
Fourteen infants died after a fire broke out in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Wednesday morning. The nursery housed 15 newborns at the time, according to Pims officials, with only one infant rescued.
The sources said the authority, which issues licences to hospitals, laboratories and clinics, renews licences without ensuring fire safety arrangements.
For annual licence renewals, hospitals reportedly rely on photographs of rescue training conducted in November and December, the sources said.
The sources said the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had twice written to the authority, asking it not to issue certificates to hospitals without fire safety arrangements.
However, the authority never responded to the CDA’s letters, according to the sources.
The IHRA is the regulatory body responsible for ensuring safety and security at hospitals, while fire safety arrangements and training are part of the annual licence renewal process.
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Fourteen infants died after a fire broke out in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Wednesday morning.
The nursery housed 15 newborns at the time, according to Pims officials, with only one infant rescued. Here is what we know so far about the incident, the response and the investigations.
How did the fire start?
The fire broke out at around 6:45am in the NICU on the third floor of the Mother and Child Health (MCH) ward.
Rescue sources said an air-conditioner compressor exploded inside the nursery. The Pims administration’s initial report, however, said a nebuliser indicating the quantity of oxygen alongside an incubator exploded. The report also said video footage showed a flame emerging from an air conditioner.
The report said oxygen subsequently caught fire, while smoke travelled through pipes and entered the infants’ breathing systems. It said the children died after the oxygen supply was cut off and from burns sustained in the fire.
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry separately said the fire was caused by a short circuit and that most of the children died from asphyxiation.
What happened during the rescue?
There are conflicting accounts about the response.
The district administration said rescue teams reached the site immediately after receiving information, with six fire brigade vehicles and four ambulances taking part in the operation. State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry later said the rescue team arrived within six minutes of receiving the fire alert.
A CDA Fire Brigade Department report also said its first vehicle reached Pims within six minutes. However, eyewitnesses and parents told Geo News that rescue teams arrived much later and that they had attempted to rescue patients themselves.
Members of Anti-Terrorist Squad move past a fire engine following a deadly fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad, August 26, 2026. — Reuters
Members of Anti-Terrorist Squad move past a fire engine following a deadly fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad, August 26, 2026. — Reuters
The fire brigade report identified inadequate fire-safety arrangements, including permanently closed emergency exits and obstacles along evacuation routes. It also said Pims security staff obstructed firefighters during their initial response.
Pims Executive Director Rana Imran Sikandar said two doctors, four nurses and other staff were present in the NICU and that a doctor rescued one newborn.
What is being investigated?
The MCH ward was sealed after the fire, while CCTV footage and other evidence were secured, according to the state interior minister.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an inquiry and later suspended Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghori. He also formed a high-level committee headed by former interior secretary Shahid Khan.
Impartial inquiry
Experts and political figures have called for an independent inquiry into the fire, with former caretaker health minister Dr Nadeem Jan saying the probe should be headed by a judge and include independent technical experts.
Former Islamabad advocate general Jahangir Jadoon also called for a judicial commission headed by an independent Supreme Court judge, saying people linked to those involved in the incident should not be part of the investigation.
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Fourteen infants died after a fire broke out in the gynaecology ward of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), officials said on Wednesday.
According to Pims officials, the nursery housed 15 newborns at the time of the incident, of whom only one was rescued.
Rescue sources said the fire started at 6:45am after an air-conditioner compressor exploded inside the nursery at the hospital situated in the federal capital.
According to the district administration, 14 children were completely burnt in the fire that broke out on the third floor of the MCH ward.
Rescue teams reached the site immediately after receiving information, the district administration said, adding that six fire brigade vehicles and four ambulances took part in the rescue operations.
However, eyewitnesses told Geo News that the fire brigade and rescue teams arrived a little over half an hour later and that when the incident took place, the staff scrambled and told people to evacuate.
“We rescued ourselves and our patients,” said one eyewitness, who was an old lady, while another man said that the hospital staff did not use fire extinguishing equipment to put out the blaze.
‘High-level committee formed’
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep grief over the deaths, saying that such a situation involving children was “irreparable”.
Expressing deep sorrow over the incident, the premier said that he shared “the grief of the parents”.
PM Shehbaz chaired a high-level meeting over the Pims nursery fire, expressing strong displeasure with relevant officials.
During the meeting, the prime minister ordered the immediate suspension of Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghori from his post.
Samiullah, father of a newborn victim, is consoled following a deadly fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) hospital in Islamabad, August 26, 2026. — Reuters
Samiullah, father of a newborn victim, is consoled following a deadly fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) hospital in Islamabad, August 26, 2026. — Reuters
A high-level inquiry committee has been constituted on the prime minister’s directive to investigate the fire incident at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), with the government issuing a formal notification for the probe.
Former secretary of interior Shahid Khan has been appointed chairman of the inquiry committee, according to the notification. Major General (R) Dr Khurshid Utra, Dr Barrister Nabeel Ahmed Awan, and the Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad will serve as its members.
