Sherry Rehman demands Senate probe into PIMS fire

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman has expressed a lack of confidence in the

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman has expressed a lack of confidence in the government’s investigations into the recent fire at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), demanding the formation of a full-house committee to investigate the incident.

Speaking during a Senate session, Rehman said the government-appointed committees could not be trusted because, in her view, the members were effectively investigating one another.

“We have no confidence in these government committees,” she said, demanding that the Senate be informed about the outcome of previous inquiry committees. She warned that she would not allow proceedings to continue without satisfactory answers.

Rehman questioned official claims that evacuation routes at the hospital had remained open during the fire. She said all routes had allegedly been blocked and demanded an explanation about the whereabouts of hospital staff at the time of the incident.

She also questioned whether staff members had been asleep when the fire occurred and asked why PIMS did not have a valid fire safety certificate.

The senator said reports prepared by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) contradicted PIMS’ version of events. According to Rehman, the CDA had previously warned that the hospital’s fire safety arrangements were inadequate.

She argued that suspending a secretary alone was not enough and called for accountability over the overall safety failures at the hospital.

Rehman also questioned the explanation that an air conditioner had caused a spark that led to the fire. “Has anyone ever seen a spark coming from an air conditioner?” she asked, saying she had spent many years working around such equipment.

Recalling her time as a federal minister, Rehman said she had resigned from office on a previous occasion when she was unable to prevent interference in her ministry.

She also recalled her experience as health minister, saying she had once chosen PIMS for her husband’s surgery instead of Karachi because she considered the hospital capable of providing the required treatment at the time.

However, she claimed that PIMS was now no longer capable of providing adequate services and was referring patients for operations to other facilities, including Polyclinic and hospitals in Rawalpindi.

Rehman also raised concerns about security arrangements at the hospital. She said she had previously been told that some doors were kept locked because of concerns about newborn babies being stolen. She said she had opposed the practice and suggested deploying security guards instead of blocking access routes.

Expressing frustration over the situation, the PPP senator said the public had become tired of what she described as an attitude of authority and poor governance.

She said people were losing hope in Parliament because they believed their concerns were not being adequately addressed.