IHC orders report on PIMS tragedy

The capital's high court on Monday ordered a report on last week's Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) tragedy, with the chief justice describing the incident as "horrific".

IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar took up a slew of petitions seeking a judicial inquiry into the fire at the hospital's nursery that resulted in the deaths of 14 newborn babies.

Additional Attorney General Rashid Hafeez and Assistant Attorney General Azmat Bashir Tarar appeared before the court. Advocate Qasim Iqbal Jalali, a petitioner's counsel, said both committees formed by the government to probe the incident comprised bureaucrats.

"How can bureaucrats investigate their own departments?" he asked.

Chief Justice Dogar inquired under which law the court could direct a judicial inquiry. "Where does the Inquiry Act state that the court can issue such a direction?" he asked. The petitioner's counsel said that a commission had been constituted in connection with the Punjab Institute of Cardiology incident.

The CJP remarked that the commission had not been constituted by the court; rather, the government had to take such a step. He said if an issue arose within the court, he would ask one of his own judges to look into it.

The counsel responded that no one could be a judge in his own cause. He said responsibility had not been fixed in the inquiry report submitted before the court.

Hafeez informed the court that the health secretary had been suspended on the very day the incident occurred, while Pims officials had now been suspended on the basis of the interim report.

The chief justice remarked that it was a very horrific incident in which 14 children had lost their lives. He asked the additional attorney general whether the court was still barred from passing an order if the authorities were already taking action. "We can ask what has happened so far," Justice Dogar said as he sought a detailed response and adjourned the hearing.

On August 26, fourteen newborn babies were killed after a fire broke out on the third floor of the Mother and Child Hospital's ward at Islamabad's Pims, whipping up a storm with people and political parties demanding action against those responsible for the tragedy.