'Heads must roll': Politicians, journalists demand accountability as Pims fire claims lives of 14 infants

'Heads must roll': Politicians, journalists demand accountability as Pims fire claims lives of 14 infants.

Key points

• News Desk Published August 26, 2026 Updated August 26, 2026 01: 31pm.
• Fourteen infants were killed on Wednesday morning in a fire at the gynaecology ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), Islamabad's premier public hospital.
• Journalist Hasnaat Malik referred to a recent statement by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, saying: We have been informed that good governance would come through establishing small units.
• National Democratic Movement leader Bushra Gohar pressed the hospital administration to be held accountable and for the health minister to accept responsibility and resign.
• Sherry Rehman terms incident "beyond shocking"; Miftah Ismail calls for a "full investigation" into the incident.

According to Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, the incident occurred at 6: 45am due to a "blast in the air conditioner" inside the ward and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif swiftly removed the federal health secretary as an inquiry was rolled out.

Nevertheless, the incident sparked outrage among politicians and journalists. This person demanded accountability and termed it the outcome of "criminal negligence".

PPP leader Senator Sherry Rehman called the incident "beyond shocking" and held that it was a "deep stain of shame on the entire ministry and the rot within".

"This is where citizens are sent to heal in the federal capital?" Rehman asked as she pressed justice for the lives lost.

Awaam Pakistan leader and former finance minister Miftah Ismail pressed a "full investigation" into the incident.

"This is beyond tragic. This is criminal negligence. There should be full investigation and accountability and heads must roll, " he remarked.

According to Journalist Fahd Husain, the incident was "not just a tragedy but a crime committed by all those who are entrusted with running the hospital and their bosses".

He held that it was a "by-product of atrocious governance, criminal apathy and inefficient government machinery that is rotten to the core".

Assailing the authorities, Husain remarked that statements from leaders expressing " afsos " (grief) over the incident were nothing but "salt the wounds by these very people".

Tehreek-I-Tahaffuz Ayeen-I-Pakistan leader and former Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar remarked PM Shehbaz taking notice of the fire was "simply not enough" as the incident was the result of "criminal negligence".

"Fourteen infants losing their lives in an incident which could have been prevented by better management and oversight, can't be shrugged off, " Khokhar remarked.

"Compensation to grieving families cannot be applied to silence them or substitute for justice. The families deserve accountability, transparency and justice not hush funds, " she wrote.

Dawn journalist Baqir Sajjad Syed remarked the children "were entrusted to the hospital for care and protection, not to lose their lives to a preventable tragedy".

He observed that the lack of safety measures and regulatory oversight produced the loss "even more painful".

"Who can now remedy the agony of parents who lost their newborns?" he asked.

"This is too tragic. Particularly painful, " stated former Sindh governor Mohammad Zubair. "This government can't even manage a hospital in Islamabad, " he remarked.

"But why there is no 'good governance' in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). Pims tragedy is the classic example of criminal negligence, bad governance and maladministration, " he remarked.

"Fourteen infants have been burnt to death in a fire in Islamabad's largest public sector hospital, in Pakistan's capital and its premier showcase of modern urban life. Let that sink in, " remarked journalist Iftikhar Firdous.

"Apathy cannot be repackaged as endurance and sold to the public after every national tragedy. Stop romanticising the suffering of your own individuals and fix the system, " he stated.

According to Journalist Yusra Askari, no words, no visits and no compensation would provide the bereaved families patience.

"Those responsible for mammoth negligence have to be held accountable, " she remarked.

Header image: An ambulance transporting the remains of a child drives past police after a fire outside the Mother and Child Health (MCH) ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital in Islamabad on August 26, 2026. – AFP. 14 infants killed in fire at Pims' gynae ward in Islamabad.

7 suffer burn injuries after fire erupts in govt hospital in Karachi. Infant dies as incubator catches fire in Karachi children's hospital. Dawn NewsKit Publishing Platform.

In short, ' Heads must roll' : Politicians, journalists demand accountability as Pims fire claims lives is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.