By Sumayya
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN: At least 14 newborn babies perished Wednesday morning in a devastating blaze inside a major maternity ward, marking one of Pakistan’s deadliest hospital fires in recent decades. The fire broke out around 7 a.m. local time on the third floor of the mother and child unit at the government-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), which stands as the largest public medical facility in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.
Emergency responders indicated that the destructive blaze was apparently initiated by the sudden rupture of an air conditioning compressor unit located inside the specific nursery room where the infants were receiving medical attention. Medical staff members successfully managed to evacuate and save one infant from the room before the smoke and flames spread, according to local rescue officials.
On the grounds outside the medical center, a devastated parent shared with members of the press that his three-day-old infant had tragically lost their life during the fire.
“No one can comprehend the immense grief I am currently experiencing,” he expressed.
A woman named Muneeba who was visiting family in the hospital described narrowly escaping with her nephew and sister-in-law as the fire began to spread.
“Thank God our baby is safe,” she said.
Multiple people reported encountering locked doors in the ward.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he is “deeply saddened by this tragic incident” and ordered an immediate investigation into the fire, according to statement from his office.
He promised “strict action against anyone found responsible.”
Medical care across Pakistan is distributed via a combination of private entities and state-operated medical centers. Government-managed facilities routinely face severe financial deficits and staffing shortages, frequently drawing sharp criticism for their decaying infrastructure and an overall absence of crisis readiness [26 August 2026].
Sharmila Sahibah Faruqui, a representative within Pakistan’s National Assembly, condemned the catastrophic event as “disgraceful and unpardonable” through an official update posted on X [26 August 2026].
“Accountability must be enforced immediately, rather than using another investigative board to conceal the truth,” she asserted. “The individuals at fault must face strict consequences.”
As the capital territory, Islamabad serves as the principal hub for Pakistan’s legislative and military leadership, resulting in medical structures that typically maintain a superior operational grade compared to those located in various regional towns and metropolitan areas across the country.
The extensive PIMS campus occupies a massive, wide-ranging area situated directly within the capital territory.
According to the digital portal maintained by the facility, its core institutional objective is “to be a premier research-intensive medical university that will educate medical students, paramedics, and postdoctoral fellows in accordance with international professional standards.”
Pakistan has recorded multiple catastrophic fire outbreaks throughout the preceding years, encompassing incidents within healthcare institutions, which frequently function utilizing obsolete and deteriorating electrical wiring configurations.
Earlier during the current year, a catastrophic inferno that swept through a major commercial shopping hub located in Karachi claimed the lives of at least 67 individuals.
Furthermore, in June 2022, a major blaze erupted within a dedicated pediatric medical center situated in Lahore, completely destroying thousands of dollars worth of vital pharmaceutical supplies and medication stock, according to regional journalistic accounts.
