The Islamabad High Court (IHC) said on Tuesday it may direct criminal action against anyone found responsible for the deaths of 14 newborns in a fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), if negligence is proven. At the same hearing, it suspended an order that had turned down a request to register a First Information Report (FIR).
Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro was hearing a petition that sought an FIR and compensation for the affected families. “I will summon all the reports and evidence,” he said. “If any negligence comes to light, I will order an FIR against those responsible.”
Judge orders full inquiry record and notices to officials
The judge directed the authorities to produce the complete record, including the inquiry report. The court issued notices to the federal government, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Health and the Establishment Division, asking for their replies.
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Other recipients included the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority, the Auditor General, the chief commissioner and deputy commissioner, the Capital Development Authority, Capital Emergency Services, the Pims executive director, the Islamabad inspector general of police and the director general of the Federal Investigation Agency.
Lawyer says inquiry found lapses but no case was registered
Lawyer Riaz Hanif Rahi, who filed the petition, told the court that 14 children had died after being burnt in the incident and that another child later died from injuries. He said no FIR had been registered even though an inquiry had taken place, and that its report had established negligence.
Rahi asked the court to direct police to register a case before the day’s proceedings ended. He said he was the only person who had approached police with an application for an FIR. When the judge asked whether an inquiry had been held, the lawyer replied that its findings had confirmed lapses. He also questioned why evidence was being gathered if no criminal case had been opened.
The judge asked counsel to concentrate on legal arguments rather than repeatedly seeking an immediate order to register the FIR. The court suspended the Justice of Peace’s order that had dismissed the application. According to Rahi, the application was rejected because related petitions were already pending before the high court.
Describing the deaths as an appalling tragedy, Rahi said: “Even the young of animals in a jungle are not treated like this.” Justice Soomro asked him to address the legal merits of the petition. The court adjourned further proceedings until November 12.
What happened in the Pims neonatal nursery
The fire broke out on August 26 in the neonatal nursery on the third floor of the Mother and Child Healthcare Centre at Pims in Islamabad, killing 14 newborn babies. It was reported at around 6:45am. Of the 15 newborns in the nursery at the time, only one survived.
Initial accounts suggested the flames spread rapidly through oxygen outlets connected to the infants’ incubators, leaving little time for evacuation. Firefighters and rescue teams brought the blaze under control. The tragedy prompted nationwide grief and raised questions about fire safety, emergency preparedness and conditions at major public hospitals.
An inquiry committee formed on the direction of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif submitted an interim report identifying serious safety and administrative shortcomings. It said fire-safety arrangements were inadequate and that proper alarm and sprinkler systems were reportedly absent from the nursery. The panel also examined how hospital staff and rescue teams responded.
Government action and parliamentary calls for accountability
On August 29, the prime minister ordered the suspension of eight officials and directed criminal proceedings against those identified in the report. The Pims executive director was among those facing action. The government also announced a cash award and a civil honour for nurse Razia Noreen, who rescued the surviving infant.
The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on National Health Services later sought further accountability. It requested records on fire-safety installations, inspections, equipment maintenance, staff training and emergency drills, and called for third-party safety audits of healthcare facilities in Islamabad.
The latest petition has returned the question of criminal accountability to the courts. The IHC now wants the complete inquiry record before deciding whether negligence warrants registering a criminal case.
