ISLAMABAD: Showing annoyance over the failure to register First Information Report (FIR) against officers of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), members of a parliamentary committee questioned why DNA tests of the newborn babies, who were burnt alive, were not held.

A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services was held under the chairmanship of Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti and was attended by senators Syed Masroor Ahsan, Shahzaib Durrani, Samina Mumtaz Zehri, Rubina Khalid and Rahat Jamali. Senator Anusha Rahman Khan participated through Zoom.Senator Jan Mohammad, as mover of an agenda item, also attended the proceedings.

Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri expressed serious concern over the failure of the ministry and Pims to register an FIR against those responsible for the fire incident in the hospital’s children’s ward.

Ministry officials informed the committee that a letter had been written to the interior ministry, requesting registration of an FIR against the incident.

The committee observed that the Pims administration and the health ministry itself should lodge the FIR with the concerned police station instead of requesting the interior ministry to do so.

Senator Syed Masroor Ahsan questioned whether DNA tests of the burnt babies and their parents had been conducted before handing over the dead bodies.

Pims authorities informed the committee that the 14 bodies had been handed over to their respective parents and that the children were identified through identification bands.

A senior officer of Pims, wishing not to be named, told Dawn that the arm bands were made of plaster and the identifications were very much visible on them.

“So there was no confusion about the identification. Moreover children died due to carbon monoxide and their bodies got black due to smoke,” he said. The committee expressed serious concern over the claim that identification bands and written names remained intact despite the bodies having been burnt. Taking serious notice of the alleged negligence, the meeting directed that an FIR be registered against the responsible officers and recommended that the names of the concerned officers be placed on the Exit Control List (ECL), in accordance with law.

The committee reviewed implementation of its earlier directives issued to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) regarding advertisements and promotion of formula milk.

It was informed that the statement had been incorporated in the advertisements and packaging of formula milk brands and that the message had also been aired on various television and radio channels.

However the committee found the presentation of Pemra chairman to be unsatisfactory and directed her to fully comply to the committee recommendations in the future.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2026