The tragic deaths of kids in the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) fire in Islamabad have been politicised by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi, who mentioned that a similar incident could have been used as a possible ploy to target PTI founder Imran Khan.
Expressing grief over the deaths, Afridi said the newborns had nothing to do with protests or political activity or any conflict and urged a complete and impartial investigation into the fire.
He also said there must have been negligence on someone’s part.
During the discussion though, Afridi diverted the discussion from the tragedy towards Imran Khan who had gone to PIMS for a medical check-up a few days ago.
He said Khan’s visit to the hospital could have been used as an opportunity to murder him and frame it as an accident.
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“A possible trap might have been set for him, and they might have planned to kill him as an accident. Allah knows best”, Afridi said.
He also said that “they can do anything and make any excuse”, a very political statement, when the deaths of innocent newborns were still at the heart of the tragedy.
Afridi also ordered the KP Health Department to do a fresh analysis of safety protocols in hospitals all over the province.
He directed a review of emergency measures, the identification of any weaknesses in the hospital’s fire-safety arrangements and that hospital officers are trained regularly and conduct real-life drills.
The department was also directed to conduct a fire safety audit of government hospitals and give a detailed report to the Secretariat of the Chief Minister.
However, relating the PIMS tragedy to a possible conspiracy against Imran Khan has certainly introduced a political angle to the tragedy.
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