ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad district and sessions court has dismissed an application seeking registration of a case over the fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in which 14 newborns died.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Raja Asif announced the reserved decision. Advocate Riaz Hanif Rahi had filed the application. The court had reserved its ruling after hearing arguments earlier this month, when police asked for the plea to be dismissed. During that hearing, the judge asked whether related proceedings were pending before another court. Rahi told the court that five writ petitions concerning action over the incident had been filed.
The court’s decision concerns the application seeking registration of an FIR. Separate petitions relating to the PIMS incident remain pending before the Islamabad High Court, according to the information provided by the parties.
Background to the PIMS Fire
The fire broke out on August 26 in the nursery at PIMS’s Mother and Child Healthcare Centre in Islamabad. Fourteen newborns died. The precise source of ignition was not conclusively established in the inquiry committee’s interim findings, which said further investigation and forensic examination were needed to determine the cause.
The interim inquiry identified serious gaps in fire safety and emergency preparedness. It reported that a functional automatic smoke detection, alarm or sprinkler system had not been shown to be serving the affected area, and that an adequately documented and rehearsed fire and neonatal evacuation procedure had not been demonstrated. These were interim inquiry findings, not a final judicial determination of criminal responsibility.
Government Orders Action Against Officials
On August 29, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered the suspension of eight officials identified by the inquiry committee and directed that criminal proceedings be initiated. The government also said the committee would continue its investigation and submit a detailed report. Suspension and the initiation of proceedings are administrative steps; they do not, by themselves, establish guilt.
The incident has also been examined by parliamentary committees. The National Assembly’s health committee questioned the interim inquiry and sought further material, including detailed findings on the deaths, CCTV footage, inspection records and fire-safety audit information.
A Senate human rights committee separately directed authorities to register an FIR and initiate proceedings against those responsible.
Separate Petitions Remain Pending Before IHC
Petitions concerning the incident have also been filed in the Islamabad High Court, including pleas seeking an investigation and scrutiny of fire-safety arrangements. The High Court has sought responses from the government in proceedings concerning the PIMS fire. The latest district-court ruling does not dispose of those separate petitions.
