PIMS tragedy victims demand judicial commission, question govt’s response

Islamabad: Parents and relatives of the victims of the PIMS Hospital fire have expressed frustration over the government’s handling of the tragedy, demanding a judicial commission to investigate the incident.

Fourteen infants were killed in a fire that broke out in the gynaecology ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) early on Wednesday.

Speaking to the media, the affected families claimed that DNA tests were not conducted on the deceased children and questioned the transparency of the official response.

The victims’ families said that in other countries, such a tragedy would trigger a comprehensive response from the entire system.

They urged the authorities to take responsibility, saying, “If the ministry cannot be managed, then leave it.”

The affected parents criticised the government’s decision to form a committee, saying that committees comprising bureaucrats are constituted after almost every major tragedy.

They said they were not prepared to accept the existing committee and demanded that a judicial commission be formed to investigate the PIMS incident.