ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday expressed strong displeasure over the deaths of newborn babies at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and ordered the immediate suspension and removal of Federal Health Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri.
The prime minister chaired a high-level meeting to review the incident and directed that a thorough inquiry be conducted to determine the causes and fix responsibility.
وزیر اعظم محمد شہباز شریف کی زیر صدارت پمز میں اتشزدگی کے حوالے سے ہنگامی اجلاس ختم، اجلاس میں وزیرِ اعظم نے واقعہ پر شدید برہمی کا اظہار کیا اور سخت ترین کاروائی کے احکامات دیے.
اجلاس کے دوران وزیر اعظم نے سیکریٹری صحت کو معطل کرتے ہوئے اجلاس سے جانے کا کہا۔
وزیراعظم نے پمز… pic.twitter.com/cRc6sqHqnx
— Prime Minister’s Office (@PakPMO) August 26, 2026
A high-level inquiry committee had been constituted on the prime minister’s orders to investigate the deaths. Former Interior Secretary Shahid Khan was nominated as head of the inquiry committee.
The committee also including Establishment Secretary Barrister Nabeel Ahmad Awan as a member has launched an investigation.
READ ALSO: 14 Infants Die in Fire at PIMS Gynae Ward in Islamabad
The prime minister expressed severe anger at the relevant officials during the meeting and directed the authorities to take appropriate action based on the findings of the inquiry.
At least 14 newborn babies were killed when a fire tore through the nursery of the Mother and Child Health (MCH) ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad early Wednesday, triggering a government inquiry and demands for accountability.
Meanwhile, MNA Sehar Kamran has submitted a Calling Attention Notice to the National Assembly Secretariat, drawing the attention of the Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination to the tragic deaths of at least 14 newborn babies in the fire at the Mother and Child Health Unit of PIMS Hospital.
In the notice, MNA Sehar Kamran raised serious concerns over fire safety arrangements, emergency preparedness and the protection of vulnerable newborns at major public hospitals.
She called on the minister-in-charge to make a statement in the National Assembly regarding the incident and the measures being taken to prevent such tragedies.
