Vice President of the Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Sherry Rehman, while speaking in the Senate, called for a transparent and independent investigation into the tragic deaths of 14 children in the PIMS hospital fire, stressing that the incident raises serious questions of governance, accountability and public safety. A resolution calling for the formation of a special Senate committee to investigate the PIMS tragedy was moved by Senator Sherry Rehman and it was unanimously passed by the Senate.
Senator Sherry Rehman submitted a Calling Attention Notice in the Senate to draw the attention of the Federal Minister for Health to…
[3:44 pm, 28/08/2026] +92 300 5224505: Sherry Rehman Calls for Senate Committee to Investigate PIMS Tragedy; Resolution Unanimously Passed
Islamabad, 29th August 2026:
Vice President of the Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Sherry Rehman, while speaking in the Senate, called for a transparent and independent investigation into the tragic deaths of 14 children in the PIMS hospital fire, stressing that the incident raises serious questions of governance, accountability and public safety. A resolution calling for the formation of a special Senate committee to investigate the PIMS tragedy was moved by Senator Sherry Rehman and it was unanimously passed by the Senate.
Senator Sherry Rehman submitted a Calling Attention Notice in the Senate to draw the attention of the Federal Minister for Health towards the deaths of the 14 children and the reported failure of basic fire-safety arrangements at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
“The questions being raised here today are not unjustified.”
“Within 2 hours of the tragedy, I visited PIMS with our senior PPP colleagues. We made it clear there, as we have made clear here, that we have not come here to do politics.”
“The purpose of politics is not simply to put forward our own position. It means serving the public interest. Wherever there is a failure, there must be accountability. Audit and accountability is an integral part of politics. Working for public interest in senate is politics. Politics is to work for the good of people, to work for public interest. Politics is all about accountability.“
Senator Rehman said her concerns were also rooted in her own experience as a former Health Minister.
“I have served as Health Minister for six months. I was also given reasons to close the emergency gates but I did not. Instead I posted guards there and checked myself. Why are incompetent people who don’t care about basic safety protocols even allowed to continue? “
Senator Rehman further added,
“I have personally received treatment at PIMS, as did my husband, even when I was a minister. There were still irregularities during our treatment. So imagine what ordinary citizens must go through. At present, PIMS is not in a position to provide adequate services to the people.”
Senator Rehman also challenged the account given by the Executive Director of PIMS regarding the emergency gate, raising serious questions about why an emergency exit was closed during a fire.
“The Executive Director of PIMS was lying when he said that the emergency gate was not closed. The firefighters and the CDA have stated that the gate was closed. What is the purpose of an emergency exit? It is supposed to remain open for emergencies.”
Senator Rehman also pointed to contradictions between the PIMS report and the findings of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), particularly concerning the hospital’s fire-safety arrangements.
“The PIMS report contradicts the CDA’s findings. The CDA has repeatedly stated that the hospital’s fire-safety arrangements are inadequate. Why was no notice taken? The hospital does not even have a fire NOC.”
Senator Rehman highlighted the substantial federal funding provided to PIMS, questioning why basic safety standards had not been ensured despite the availability of resources.
According to official budget figures, PIMS received around Rs. 22 billion in federal funding over the past three years. During the previous fiscal year, PIMS was allocated Rs. 6.84 billion but spent Rs. 7.51 billion, exceeding its approved budget by around Rs. 670 million. For the current fiscal year, the federal government has allocated Rs. 7.63 billion to PIMS.
Despite these substantial resources, basic fire-safety arrangements were reportedly inadequate. This is not a problem of money; this is a problem of governance. Patients come here from across Pakistan. We are all responsible for the present tragedy.”
Senator Rehman asserted,
“We are not rulers; we are servants of the people. I am capable of delivering a critical speech, but I have come here to find solutions.”
“The people of Pakistan have become disillusioned with Parliament and the elite because nothing is being done here.”
Senator Rehman asserted “There should be a House committee on this matter. We have no confidence in the committee that has already been formed because it amounts to people investigating one another. In the Senates of the United States and other countries, this is precisely the kind of work parliamentary committees undertake. The same should happen here. The committee should be constituted by this House.”
Senator Rehman spoke about the trauma suffered by the families of the deceased children and the circumstances surrounding the fire.
“The mothers of the 14 children are traumatised. When you look at that ward, your heart stops. The entire staff was asleep. One child was taken out, and even that child was rescued by a security guard. We were told that the spark originated from an air conditioner. Has anyone ever seen such a thing happen? The truth is that the system was completely non-functional. The Health Committee’s report — was buried.”
She further added, “If this practice of burying reports continues, so help me God I will be among the first to not allow this House to function.”
“This House should become a source of constructive politics. A committee should be constituted here, which should prepare a report within 40 days and also assist the hospital in developing a mechanism to manage the patients who come here every day,” Senator Sherry Rehman said.
The proposed committee will investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragedy, examine institutional failures and accountability, and recommend measures to prevent such incidents from occurring again.