The families of victims who perished in the recent fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) are demanding a judicial commission to investigate the disaster. They allege that systemic negligence and the failure of basic fire safety protocols turned a manageable medical crisis into a fatal trap.
Grief turned to anger outside the hospital gates yesterday. Relatives of the deceased held signs demanding accountability, pointing to blocked emergency exits and malfunctioning alarm systems that prevented a timely evacuation.
“My brother didn’t die from his illness; he died because the hospital couldn’t keep him safe,” said one grieving relative, who lost a family member in the blaze. “We aren’t looking for compensation; we are looking for the people who signed off on these safety inspections while the fire equipment sat idle.”
Hospital administration officials have remained largely silent on the specific failures, citing an internal inquiry currently underway. However, the families dismissed that move as a “cover-up,” arguing that an internal probe lacks the independence to hold senior management responsible for long-standing safety deficits.
Legal experts following the case suggest that the demand for a judicial commission carries significant weight. Under Pakistani law, such a body would have the power to summon senior health officials and compel the release of maintenance logs that the hospital has thus far kept private.
The incident has triggered a broader debate regarding the state of public healthcare infrastructure in the capital. While the Ministry of Health promised a “thorough review” of safety standards across all federal hospitals in the immediate aftermath of the fire, critics argue such promises are standard rhetoric that rarely yields institutional change.
For the families, the wait for answers is already too long. They have threatened to escalate their protest to the Supreme Court if a formal judicial commission is not formed within the week.
“We know how these things end,” one protester said, gesturing toward the charred wing of the building. “A report is filed, a few low-level staff are suspended, and the people who actually neglected the building stay in their seats. We won’t let that happen this time.”
