PIMS tragedy spurs cross-party reckoning

In the Senate, PPP parliamentary leader Senator Sherry Rehman moved a resolution seeking a house committee to investigate the tragedy, which was approved. Senator Manzoor Kakar said the Senate chairman and National Assembly Speaker would jointly constitute the parliamentary committee.

The Senate debate saw opposition lawmakers strongly criticise the government and demand action against those responsible. Senator Rehman called for measures to ensure that such incidents did not recur and questioned PIMS's capacity to provide healthcare.

Challenging the PIMS executive director's claim that ward gates were not closed when the fire broke out, she said firefighters had reported that doors were closed and demanded examination of exit gates, reports of locked gates and other fire-safety arrangements.

PTI Senator Falak Naz Chitrali severely criticised Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal and claimed that the bodies of newborns had been handed to parents in shopping bags and that families were the matter and leave. Senator Sadia Abbasi said she had been a member of the board that appointed the PIMS executive director and had strongly opposed the appointment.

She alleged that the bureaucracy had supported the appointment and described the executive director as a highly influential official. Senator Khurram Zeeshan called for the resignation of the entire federal cabinet and questioned why the the prime minister had not visited PIMS despite being in Islamabad.

Senator Abdul Qadir said PIMS had no alarm system when the fire broke out and demanded strict punishment for those responsible. Senator Shahadat Awan said responsibility for hospital administration rested with the executive director and alleged that the ward's emergency exit had been locked.

"There was no alternative route. That is why the windows were broken," he said, holding the PIMS administration responsible. PTI Senator Mashal Azam said the government was responsible for the deaths.

Senator Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur said the healthcare system had failed because no one was held accountable. Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas demanded immediate removal of the PIMS executive director. Responding to the criticism, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal described the tragedy as horrific and said there could be no justification for what had happened.

He said he had offered himself for accountability and welcomed the formation of a parliamentary committee. "Form a parliamentary committee, but do not impose a time limit on it," he. He assured the house that anyone found responsible for the PIMS tragedy would not be spared.

Kamal said that the country's healthcare system was "rotted" and required comprehensive reform. Kamal said political parties represented in the Senate were also governing different provinces, making healthcare improvement a collective responsibility. He offered to present a detailed account of his ministry's performance before the house.

In the National Assembly, Law Minister Tarar moved the motion, saying the speaker, in consultation with the Senate chairman, would constitute the committee. He said the speaker should be authorised to formulate or amend its terms of reference and revise its composition when necessary.

Tarar said the government would treat the tragedy as a "test case" and ensure that necessary action was taken after completion of the ongoing inquiry. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had already constituted two separate committees after the incident, with clearly different mandates.

The first committee, headed by a former senior government official, was specifically investigating the PIMS fire and did not include any PIMS or Health Ministry official, Tarar said, adding that this arrangement was intended to ensure an impartial inquiry.

The second committee, headed by Dr Azhar Kayani, was tasked with examining the future administration, improvement and provision of healthcare facilities at PIMS. It has been directed to submit a working paper within 30 days proposing measures to improve the hospital.

Tarar said the second committee included experts from different fields, including a doctor, retired civil servant and lawyer, who would assess the hospital's future requirements. "We have determined to treat this as a test case," he said, stressing that the matter would be pursued to its logical conclusion.

The both the houses passed the respective motions. Chairing the Senate session, Manzoor Kakar announced that the Senate chairman and National Assembly speaker would jointly constitute the parliamentary committee. Later both the houses were prorogued sine die.(WITH INPUT FROM APP)