A devastating fire erupted in the maternity ward of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad on Wednesday morning, resulting in the tragic loss of 14 infants. Witnesses report that they waited for hours as help arrived too late. Hivsa Walid, a bystander, describes a chaotic scene where smoke filled the room and parents scrambled to escape with their newborns. The blaze originated from an air-conditioning unit on the third floor of the mother and child unit, leaving only one of the 15 babies present alive. Families have accused hospital staff of negligence and lax safety protocols, with some claiming that the ward's door was locked and that rescue teams were slow to respond. Rana Imran Sikander, the hospital's executive director, maintains that the door was manned but concedes that the hospital's safety measures may have been insufficient. Critics argue that the incident underscores the need for improved fire safety infrastructure and stricter enforcement of building codes in government hospitals. The Pakistani Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has ordered an immediate investigation into the matter and suspended Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri in response to public outrage.