Senate Seeks Time-bound Probe Into PIMS Fire Tragedy
ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Aug, 2026) The tragic fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) came under scrutiny in the Senate on Friday, as lawmakers called for a time-bound parliamentary inquiry to fix responsibility and examine the hospital’s emergency exits, rescue response, fire-safety arrangements, and earlier warnings about potential hazards.
Soon after the proceedings commenced, the Leader of the Opposition sought suspension of the Question Hour to allow the House to discuss the tragic incident at PIMS.
Sherry Rehman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) moved an adjournment motion to discuss this tragic incident. She stated that members across the House were deeply saddened by the loss of lives and that the matter required the Senate's immediate attention.
She proposed formation of a House committee to investigate the incident within a fixed timeframe of around 40 days, emphasizing that the exercise should lead to accountability and concrete measures rather than another report that was eventually shelved. She suggested the committee examine critical questions, including:
- Whether emergency exit gates were open.
- The response time of rescue teams.
- Whether the hospital possessed the required fire NOC.
- Why earlier warnings about deficiencies in its fire-safety system were not addressed.
Sherry Rehman argued that claims regarding the emergency exits needed to be independently verified, raising questions over whether the gates were accessible when they were most needed. She also called for examination of previous fire-related incidents and reports at the hospital, questioning what action had been taken on earlier findings and recommendations.
She stressed that the tragedy should not be treated as a government-versus-opposition issue, noting that parliamentarians are public servants and collectively responsible for ensuring accountability. While acknowledging the pressure on Pakistan's public hospitals, she argued that the immediate issue at PIMS was one of governance rather than merely a funding shortage.
Sherry Rehman noted that PIMS caters not only to Islamabad but also receives large numbers of patients from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Rawalpindi.
Taking part in the debate, Pakistan Muslim League Senator Pervaiz Rashid proposed a structural solution and called for legislation requiring every person drawing a salary from taxpayers' money to receive medical treatment at public-sector hospitals. He suggested extending this principle to other public services, advocating that government-paid officials should use public transport for official travel and that their children should study in public-sector educational institutions.
Pervaiz Rashid emphasized that those responsible for the PIMS tragedy must be punished but that accountability alone would not prevent recurrence unless systemic weaknesses were addressed through lasting reforms.