ISLAMABAD: A Pims fire inquiry ordered by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will examine whether senior managers at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences left known fire hazards unfixed after a blaze at the nurses’ residence in July. A charge sheet links that alleged inaction to an August fire that killed 14 infants.
The papers say managers were warned after the 6 July blaze at the Female Nursing Hostel yet did not close gaps in how fires start, how people evacuate, and how staff handle emergencies. Health Minister Mustafa Kamal earlier told reporters he had not been informed about the hostel blaze.
Allegations in the charge sheet
Officials are accused of failing to start, propose, and lock in workable protections after the first fire. That pattern, the sheet argues, shows there was no clear, written, and checkable plan to cut fire and life-safety dangers. For Dr Aneza Jalil, then acting as deputy executive director, the document says she did not follow through with enough care once she knew about the July incident and left protections incomplete while fixes were still pending. She has 14 days to file a written defence. If the case is proved under service rules, punishments can go as far as removal from the job.
Eight staff members have received the charges: former executive director Prof Dr Rana Imran Sikander; joint executive director Ch. Waris Ali Raza; Mother and Child Health Centre director Prof Dr Nosheela Amjad; Dr Mutahir Shah; neonatology head Prof Dr Sadia Riaz; Dr Aneza Jalil; Dr Nagham Nawaz; and security official Mohammad Usman.
Inquiry panel and deadline
Acting as the competent authority under the Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2020, the prime minister named a three-person committee. Commerce Secretary Jawad Paul chairs it; Education Secretary Nadeem Mahbub and Human Rights Secretary Abdul Khaliq Sheikh sit as members. Joint Secretary for hospitals Mohammad Bakhsh Sangi will represent the department. The panel has 60 days to finish unless more time is granted, then seven days to deliver findings on whether the charges stand and what penalties or clearance to recommend.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 6 July: A fire breaks out at the Female Nursing Hostel at Pims.
- After 6 July: Administrators are put on notice over safety gaps, according to the charge sheet.
- August: A separate fire kills 14 newborn babies; the charge sheet says earlier fixes might have stopped it.
- After the August fire: Mustafa Kamal says he was not told about the hostel blaze.
- Now: Shehbaz Sharif opens the Pims fire inquiry and serves charges on eight officials.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Prime Minister ne Pims ke senior officers ki inquiry ka hukum de diya hai. Ilzam yeh hai ke July mein nurses hostel ki aag ke baad safety theek nahi ki gayi. August mein aik aur aag se 14 naye paida hone wale bachay mar gaye. Ab committee 60 din mein faisla karegi ke zimmedari kiski hai.
