The federal government has announced compensation of Rs5 million for the family of each newborn killed in Wednesday’s fire at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, as an inquiry committee continues reviewing CCTV footage and staff statements to determine what went wrong.
The Compensation Announcement
In a statement issued Thursday, the federal government said it “stood equally in the grief and sorrow of the affected families” and would provide every possible support and assistance. The statement acknowledged that compensation could not replace a human life, describing the payment as an attempt to ease the hardships facing the bereaved families rather than any substitute for what was lost.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif separately expressed severe displeasure with relevant officials during a high-level meeting convened over the tragedy, according to the Prime Minister’s Office, and offered condolences to the parents, saying he shared their grief and prayed for their patience and fortitude.
Speaking publicly, Sharif said the tragedy could not be treated as “an episode lasting merely a few days,” signalling that the government intends to keep the response under sustained attention rather than let it fade from view.
Investigation Under Way
Sharif has constituted a high-level four-member inquiry committee to investigate the fire, giving it 48 hours to submit an interim report. Committee members have visited Fire Brigade Headquarters, recorded statements from personnel involved in the rescue operation, and reviewed the response timeline from when the fire broke out to when rescue teams arrived.
Four PIMS officers have submitted written statements to the probe committee, which has also secured CCTV footage and is comparing it against the hospital administration’s own account of events.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the committee was reviewing footage specifically to determine whether there had been sufficient time to save the children who depended on oxygen before the supply was cut off. “Accidents never planned but accountability must follow,” Tarar said.
Families Demand More
Some affected families have pushed back on the government’s response, telling reporters they want a judicial commission rather than an administrative inquiry to investigate the incident. According to reports, the families said DNA tests were not conducted on the children who died and argued that a tragedy of this scale would have shaken the entire system in another country. Parents also questioned the credibility of a bureaucrat-led inquiry committee, arguing that similar committees are formed after every tragedy without producing accountability.
Why It Matters
The compensation announcement and the ongoing inquiry mark the government’s most concrete response yet to a tragedy that has already prompted province-wide fire safety audits in Punjab. Whether the investigation produces genuine accountability, or follows the pattern families fear from past incidents, is likely to shape public trust in the government’s handling of hospital safety going forward.
