IHC chief justice seeks copy of inquiry report on fire at Pims, details of action taken

IHC chief justice seeks copy of inquiry report on fire at Pims, details of action taken.

Key points

• Malik Asad Published August 31, 2026 Updated August 31, 2026 01: 19pm.
• It additionally imposed a fine of Rs500, 000 each on Pims, Polyclinic and its own Capital Hospital for "non-compliance with Fire and Life Safety Requirements".
• The petitioner pleaded that the Islamabad Fire Prevention and Life Safety Regulations 2010 should be implemented in letter and spirit.
• Justice Dogar heard the petition filed by citizen Malik Naveed Ashiq Awan through his counsel, Advocate Afrasiab Ahmed Rana.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Chief Executive Officer Dr Mohammad Salman has taken charge of the post after being appointed as the acting Pims ED.

Malik Asad Published August 31, 2026 Updated August 31, 2026 01: 19pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

While additionally questioning the culpability of the hospital's executive director (ED), ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sought the report submitted to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and details of the action taken.

Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar passed the directions while hearing two separate petitions related to the Pims tragedy.

During the hearing of a petition filed by lawyer Qasim Iqbal Jalali seeking a judicial inquiry into the incident, Extra Attorney General (AAG) Rashid Hafeez, Deputy Attorney General Faisal Irfan and Assistant Attorney General Azmat Bashir Tarar appeared before the court.

According to Justice Dogar termed the Pims fire a "terrible incident" and, the loss of 14 children was extremely serious.

Meanwhile, the petitioner's counsel argued that the administration had constituted committees comprising bureaucrats, questioning how the office-holders of one department could conduct an inquiry into their own colleagues. "How can bureaucrats inquire into their own department?" the counsel asked.

For context, the chief justice questioned the legal basis of the request for a judicial inquiry, asking the lawyer under which law the court could order such an inquiry and where the Inquiry Act empowered the IHC to matter such directives.

In practice, the counsel referred to the commission constituted after the Punjab Institute of Cardiology incident. According to The chief justice, the remarked commission had not been constituted by the court, adding that such matters fell within the government's domain.

"If there is any matter with us, I will ask one of my judges to look into it, " Justice Dogar remarked.

Notably, the counsel maintained that "no one can be the judge of his own actions" and argued that responsibility had not been fixed in the inquiry report submitted so far.

While hospital authorities had subsequently been suspended on the basis of an interim inquiry report, AAG Hafeez informed the court that the health secretary had been suspended on the day of the incident.

Justice Dogar again termed the incident extremely tragic and asked whether any action was still being taken and whether there was any restriction preventing the court from passing an order.

In practice, the court sought the report submitted to the prime minister, along with details of the action taken so far and directed the federation to submit a detailed response.

For context, a separate petition additionally sought removal of the Pims ED from office – who has already been suspended – and action over the tragedy. The petitioner's counsel highlighted the conditions at the hospital and questioned the utilisation of its massive budget.

In practice, the counsel informed the court that the deaths of the children were horrific and requested that the Pims ED be removed from his post.

"How can the court give a direction to remove him from the post?" Chief Justice Dogar asked.

For context, the counsel contended that Pims has an annual budget of around Rs20 to Rs22 billion, yet a number of children were being accommodated on a single bed. He questioned where the budget was being spent and pressed the court to order the executive director's removal and return his services to his parent department.

According to The chief justice, he believed the Pims ED had already been removed from the post, referring to the prime minister's orders to suspend Prof Dr Imran Sikandar and seven others. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Chief Executive Officer Dr Mohammad Salman has taken charge of the post after being appointed as the acting Pims ED.

For context, the counsel replied that although the ED had been removed, no responsibility had been fixed against him and he had not been held responsible in the inquiry report either.

AAG Hafeez informed the court that the report at present available was only an interim report and that the complete inquiry report would be submitted within five days.

For context, the chief justice specifically asked whether responsibility had so far been fixed against the Pims ED. The court sought a report on the matter and adjourned the hearing. CDA response sought over alleged lack of safety NOCs.

Separately, the IHC has sought a response from the federal capital's administration over the alleged non-implementation of fire safety laws and regulations in Islamabad.

Meanwhile, the petition was filed after the Pims incident. The petitioner contended that even a major healthcare facility such as Pims did not have the requisite fire department no-objection certificate (NOC).

For context, the petition further alleged that commercial, educational and medical buildings throughout Islamabad were operating without fire safety NOCs and that a number of buildings lacked essential fire-fighting equipment, emergency exits and fire alarms.

For context, the petitioner pleaded that the Islamabad Fire Prevention and Life Safety Regulations 2010 should be implemented in letter and spirit.

Notably, the petition sought directions for an immediate fire safety audit of all buildings in the federal capital and the sealing of buildings operating without valid fire safety NOCs.

It additionally sought the establishment of a regular inspection mechanism to identify and monitor buildings that are illegal or pose a threat to public safety.

In practice, the court issued notices to the home secretary, Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), and the offices of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman and Islamabad chief commissioner – both roles served by retired Lt Sohail Ashraf – seeking their responses.

Notably, the petition maintained that the Pims fire had exposed serious shortcomings in the enforcement of fire safety regulations and pressed immediate institutional action to prevent similar incidents going forward.

After the Pims incident, CDA intensified enforcement of fire and life safety regulations throughout Islamabad, sealing a number of high-rise buildings and partially sealing two hotels in Blue Area.

Malik Asad is an Islamabad-based reporter for Dawn with two decades of experience covering legal affairs, judicial developments, and the civil bureaucracy. He can be discovered on X at @asadrp.

For now, IHC chief justice seeks copy of inquiry report on fire at Pims, remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.