Journalist Azaz Syed has questioned the government’s actions in the aftermath of a fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) that killed 14 newborn babies, criticizing the suspension of Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghori and raising serious concerns over the officer chosen to lead the inquiry.
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif ordered Ghori’s suspension during an emergency meeting on Wednesday, shortly after a blaze broke out on the third floor of the hospital’s Maternal and Child Health ward.
Sharif also constituted a high-level inquiry committee headed by former interior secretary Shahid Khan to investigate the incident.
Speaking on a private news channel’s programme, the journalist argued that suspending the federal health secretary targets the wrong administrative level, stating, “One thing is that as soon as the Prime Minister arrived, Health Secretary Aslam Ghori was suspended from his position. I believe this was not the right course of action.”
Syed emphasized that direct operational accountability lies with the hospital management rather than the ministry head. “The Health Secretary is neither the DMO nor the Executive Director of this hospital,” Syed stated.
He added, “The core responsibility lies with the administration of this hospital.”
Syed then shifted focus to the choice of the lead investigator, raising questions about Khan’s past record in public service. “Look at who has been appointed to head the inquiry: Shahid Khan Sahib,” Syed said.
He stated, “With all due respect, and without any personal conflict, as far as I recall, he is the Federal Secretary for Interior. He himself faced allegations of misusing his office, was subject to NAB inquiries, and had land allotted to him that was allegedly commercialized and sold.”
Syed highlighted more allegations against Khan. “Furthermore, there were serious allegations against him regarding the physical mistreatment of officers within his own department,” Syed said.
Addressing the broader implications of the decision, he challenged the government for placing significant investigative authority in the hands of controversial figures. “Now, with all due respect, I won’t use harsh words like calling someone a mental patient, but you are assigning major responsibilities to such individuals, such bureaucrats who themselves face serious allegations,” he remarked.
