Responsible officials should be removed from their positions until the investigation is complete, social leader

Islamabad (News Reporter) Chaudhry Shafiq, former commissioner of the Parliamentary Commission on Human Rights, expressed deep sorrow and concern over the deaths of newborns in a fire at the nursery of the Mother and Child Health Ward at PIMS, declaring the incident a national tragedy. He demanded a transparent and independent judicial inquiry into the incident, the removal of responsible officials from their positions until the investigation is complete, and the public release of the investigative report. The deaths of 14 innocent children cannot be dismissed as merely an accident; it is essential to determine the negligence, fire safety measures, staff presence, emergency response, and the responsibilities of the hospital administration. Alleged negligence and the government’s oversight system should also be assessed. During a press conference at the National Press Club in Islamabad, alongside Citizens Forum convener William Pervez, social leader Dr. Bashir Hussain Shah, Habiba Talat, and other representatives of civil and human rights, Chaudhry Shafiq stated that the state’s primary responsibility is to protect the lives and property of its citizens, especially children. However, repeated incidents indicate that safety measures and governance systems in public hospitals are severely flawed. Chaudhry Shafiq emphasized that those in positions of power consider themselves above accountability, making a judicial inquiry necessary. He stated that as the convener of the Citizens Forum, they demand a thorough investigation into the incident and the removal of those responsible from their positions to ensure a transparent process. He added that if the government is genuinely serious, it should replace the current officials with experts, legal professionals, and judicial representatives to form an investigative committee. Investigations should also be conducted from a human rights perspective, and relevant national human rights institutions should review the matter under their mandate. William Pervez called for a transparent audit of the resources allocated for fire safety, equipment, and safety measures in Islamabad’s public hospitals. He noted that inquiry committees are established after various incidents each year, but the lack of effective action against those responsible leads to the recurrence of such events. The deaths of 14 children should not become part of this ongoing trend. A transparent judicial inquiry should be conducted, the report made public, a nationwide audit of fire safety and safety measures in hospitals should be carried out, and compliance with the recommendations of previous inquiry reports should be ensured. Dr. Bashir Hussain Shah stated that this is not a crisis of any political party but rather a crisis of state governance and accountability systems. He mentioned that public hospitals are overloaded beyond capacity, necessitating a fundamental strengthening of the health system. The speakers demanded that independent audits be conducted for fire safety, emergency exits, electrical systems, oxygen supply, nurseries, and emergency training of staff in public and private hospitals across the country, and that compliance with past incident inquiry reports be ensured. Representatives of the Citizens Forum announced that they will continue to monitor the incident and related government actions and will release their report within 15 days.