Mustafa Kamal promises accountability as Sindh govt demands his resignation

Kamal says PM has ordered investigation and that 'nothing will be hidden', with all evidence to be brought forward

ISLAMABAD:

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said on Wednesday that he had presented himself for accountability before the prime minister, while the Sindh government had asked him to resign following the deaths of 14 newborns in a fire at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

“If anyone had a responsibility and failed to fulfil that responsibility, that person will be held accountable in every possible way. I have included myself in this. I have presented myself for accountability,” Kamal said during a press conference outside PIMS.

Earlier in the morning, a fire broke out on the third floor of the Mother and Child Hospital at PIMS. Fifteen newborns were in the ward at the time. Fourteen suffered severe burns and later died, while one child survived and was rescued. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed an inquiry committee to investigate the incident and suspended Health Secretary Aslam Ghori.

Kamal arrived at PIMS hours after the fire broke out, while reporters repeatedly questioned him about his delayed arrival at the hospital, the information available to him during the incident, the suspension of senior officials, and longstanding administrative and infrastructure problems at PIMS.

Kamal said that he had landed in Islamabad at around 3:15pm or 3:30pm and came directly to the hospital.

“No one will be given any concession. There are many things the prime minister has instructed me not to speak about at this stage,” he said.

He also said the prime minister had ordered an investigation and that “nothing will be hidden”, with all evidence to be brought forward.

The minister said he had already made his position clear on accountability and that the investigation would determine responsibility.

“This is a matter of human lives and children. Everyone will have to go through accountability,” he said. “Wherever there has been negligence, we will fix it.”

Kamal said the ward housed newborns, including babies who were only two or three days old, and critically ill children requiring oxygen support.

“I first want to express my heartfelt condolences to the families whose children have been taken from them. Only those who have lost their loved ones can truly understand their grief. Those who have passed away cannot be brought back. May Allah grant their families patience and grant the deceased children the status of martyrs,” he said.

Read More: 14 newborns killed in fire at PIMS Hospital in Islamabad

CCTV footage surfaces

Kamal said CCTV footage from the ward was being examined and described what was visible in the recordings.

“There are cameras installed everywhere. The institutions have the videos, and we have them as well. It can be seen that there was a spark. The nurses are saying that it came from inside the AC, and a flame-like thing emerged from it and fell to the ground,” he said.

“Within one minute, at 6:39am, people can be seen coming out. Four people — two doctors and two nurses in charge — were present there, and they can be seen in the video.”

He said four people ran to seek help, and within one minute, the entire room can be seen engulfed in flames.

The minister stressed that the cause of the fire was still being investigated by multiple agencies.

“Definitely, a study is being conducted into this. The experts are investigating it, several institutions are investigating it, we are conducting our own investigation as well, and the prime minister has also ordered an investigation. Nothing will be hidden. Whatever there is will come out. All the evidence will come before you,” he said.

Asked about the apparent speed with which the fire spread, Kamal said the presence of oxygen was an important factor being examined.

“Apparently, it seems that because 14 of the 15 children had oxygen tubes attached to them and were receiving oxygen, the oxygen caught fire, and the fire can be seen travelling along the lines,” he said.

A reporter questioned the minister over the fact that PIMS was only a few kilometres from the health ministry, asking why the ministry had not been immediately present at the hospital and whether, in a developed country, the health minister would not have been expected to be there.

Kamal said he had already given as much information as he was authorised to provide. “I wish I could tell you everything that I can say,” he said, adding that he was bound by the instructions of his superiors.

“I am also bound by the prime minister of Pakistan and his orders. Whatever orders he gives, I can speak to that extent. You will know when the time comes,” Kamal said.

Questions over suspended officials

Asked about the suspension of officials and whether the prime minister had informed him of the basis on which certain officials, including secretaries, had been suspended, Kamal said he had participated in the prime minister’s online meeting.

“I was in that meeting. I was in the online meeting. Definitely, it is the prime minister's prerogative to suspend anyone and to take any action against anyone,” he said.

Also Read: 'Give me my child back': Mother mourns infant lost in PIMS fire

He added that he did not yet have complete information about the basis for the suspensions.

Kamal was also questioned about the condition of the hospital and the broader problems facing PIMS. He explained that the ward catered to vulnerable newborns, including premature and weak babies.

“Children who are born weak or prematurely are brought here. Their mothers are also somewhere around them. All of them were rescued,” he said.

The minister then highlighted the pressure on PIMS, saying the hospital was designed for a much smaller population and patient load.

“It was built for 200 to 300 OPD patients. Today, 9,500 people come here,” he said.

Kamal said Islamabad's population had grown dramatically since the hospital was established. “When this was built, Islamabad's population was 300,000. Today it is 3.5 million. Half of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa comes here, the whole of Gilgit-Baltistan comes here, and half of Azad Jammu and Kashmir comes here,” he said.

Responding to questions about whether the hospital's shortcomings were the responsibility of the health ministry, Kamal said, “Who is saying that everything here is absolutely up to standard or ideal? I am not saying that. I have never said that."

“The responsibility for bringing everything up to standard lies with the institutions of this country and with the department.”

He argued that the situation had to be viewed in the context of the wider pressures on the country's healthcare system. “You cannot have one thing in our circumstances that is absolutely ideal while everything else is not. That is not possible given the conditions of our country,” Kamal said.

The minister stressed that the purpose of the investigation should not simply be to assign blame but to prevent a repeat of the tragedy. “These incidents should not be repeated. They should never have happened in the first place,” Kamal said.

He said the exact root cause needed to be established so that measures could be taken to prevent future deaths.

“If you go to the root cause and understand things exactly, you can take measures to save people and Pakistanis from the next incident,” he said.

Cause of fire

Kamal was questioned again about the CCTV footage and whether the fire could have originated from the incubators. He reiterated that the footage showed a spark rather than a fire originating directly from an incubator.

“The cameras are installed there. The CCTV footage shows everything. A fire cannot start from the incubators. A flame — a spark — emerged and fell onto the floor,” he said.

According to the minister, the footage showed the sequence within approximately one minute.

“They are saying there is a one-minute gap. At 6:38am, the spark occurred, and at 6:39am the entire room can be seen engulfed in flames,” he said.

He also acknowledged the broader security issue involving newborns at the hospital. “There had been incidents a few years ago in which newborn children were taken from here — you can call it abduction or theft. After that incident, they placed a guard at that gate,” he said.

“He is stationed there 24 hours a day, and that door is opened and closed manually. There should not be a situation anywhere in the world where newborn children are being stolen from a hospital. But, unfortunately, this happened here several years ago,” he said.

When reporters continued asking when action would be taken, Kamal responded that the process was already underway.

“This message has only come today. We are not going to finish the investigation just by showing a video. The people responsible have to be identified,” he said.

The minister reiterated that the investigation would establish what happened, who was responsible and where negligence occurred, while maintaining that no one would be protected from accountability.

Calls grow for Kamal's resignation

In a post on X, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Sharmila Farooqi termed the incident as "criminal negligence" and stated that the "most vulnerable babies were left unattended, with no one to rescue them, and were burnt to death".

"If you cannot protect newborn babies in hospitals under your own ministry, what exactly are you doing in office? How many more lives must be lost before you accept responsibility?" Farooqi asked.

Criminal negligence! The most vulnerable babies… left unattended, no one to rescue them… burnt to death.

And Mustafa Kamal is the Federal Health Minister.

If you cannot protect newborn babies in hospitals under your own ministry, what exactly are you doing in office? How many… pic.twitter.com/pYNW2J6s5V

— Dr. Sharmila Sahibah Faruqui (Phd) s.i (@sharmilafaruqi) August 26, 2026

She pointed out that "Mustafa Kamal is the federal health minister", noting further that enough speeches and excuses have been made and that Kamal should resign. 

Meanwhile, Sindh Government Spokesperson Sukhdev Hemnani also demanded Kamal's resignation, saying the minister should begin the process of accountability with himself. 

Hemnani noted that the health minister's job is to manage only two hospitals, adding that if "he cannot do that, then he should tender his resignation". 

"The job of the health minister is not to come on TV channels and talk about breaking provinces, not to hold photo sessions, but to take charge of his ministry," he added.

Hemnani also questioned where Kamal was during such a "big tragedy", noting further that he should have been in "Islamabad instead of Karachi".

"If he does not resign, the prime minister should dismiss him himself so that a clear and transparent inquiry can be conducted," the spokesperson said.