The report of the preliminary investigation into the PIMS tragedy has been submitted to the Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, the inquiry committee has identified the causes of the incident and the steps to be taken against the culprits.
Sources in the inquiry committee revealed that the report was handed to Prime Minister’s Advisor, Touqeer Shah, at his office late at night.
Shah then shared the report with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and informed him about the contents and recommendations of the report.
The report was presented by Shahid Khan who headed the Inquiry Committee and was the former Interior Secretary. Sources said the report bears the signatures of all members of the inquiry committee.
The prime minister has been given discretion over making the report public. The committee has identified what led to the PIMS tragedy and has highlighted a number of problems with the response to the emergency.
The report outlines issues that were encountered by the rescue teams during relief operations and calls for action against the relevant PIMS staff who were not present during the incident.
It also features interviews with PIMS administration officials and physicians, as well as quotations from fire brigade and rescue teams that responded to the situation.
The inquiry committee has also reviewed the treatment given to victims and medical facilities at PIMS hospital.
According to the report, the hospital’s facilities and arrangements do not meet international standards, raising concerns about its preparedness to deal with such emergencies.
The committee has made a number of recommendations to stop a similar incident from happening again and to enhance preparedness and response to emergencies.
The report has importantly called upon the prime minister to act against culprits of the tragedy.
The recommendations are now in the hands of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who can decide on further action and whether the findings will be made public or not.
Also read: Sohail Afridi politicises tragic PIMS fire with shocking Imran Khan claim