Parliament on Friday unanimously approved the formation of a special committee to investigate the deaths of 14 newborns in a fire at Islamabad’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), with Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar proposing a joint parliamentary forum and Health Minister Mustafa Kamal vowing that “not a single person” responsible would be spared. On early Wednesday morning, a fire broke out on the third floor of the Mother and Child Hospital at PIMS. Fifteen newborns were in the ward at the time. Fourteen suffered severe burns and later died, while one child survived and was rescued. The deaths have renewed scrutiny of fire-safety measures at healthcare facilities, including the availability of firefighting equipment, emergency exits and hospitals’ preparedness to respond to such emergencies. Tarar, speaking in the National Assembly (NA), proposed that a special parliamentary committee be constituted under the authority of the Speaker, arguing that the Senate and NA should not conduct separate inquiries into the same incident. “Two committees sitting separately can, at times, mean that you are unable to look at the matter properly,” Tarar said, adding that the Senate had also proposed a special parliamentary committee. He appealed to the opposition to participate in the proceedings despite its political differences: “You have parliamentary oversight; look at that as well and play your role.” Tarar said he had moved a proposal under the rules for the formation of a special committee before the speaker, which would have the authority to make changes to its composition and terms of reference where necessary. Read: From newborn joy to painful heartbreak The proposal for a special parliamentary committee was unanimously approved. The National Assembly later adjourned its session indefinitely. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also called on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to end its boycott and participate in the committee proceedings, saying parliament should use its platforms collectively to establish accountability. “The children who lost their lives cannot be replaced,” Asif said, adding that those responsible should face the strictest punishment. He urged lawmakers to attend the health committee so that parliament could work together to prevent similar incidents in the future, and called for the committee's proceedings to be kept open. Health Minister says 40 days are not enough Kamal, speaking in the NA, described the deaths of the 14 newborns as an enormous tragedy and said there could be no explanation for the loss of the innocent lives. “The tragedy is very big, and there is no replacement for innocent lives. There can be no explanation for the deaths of 14 children,” he said. “There is not a more heart-wrenching incident than this. There is no explanation for this,” Kamal said. “I am health minister, I hold myself responsible. I presented myself without mincing my words.” He supported the formation of a parliamentary committee comprising members of both the Senate and NA; however, he said that, “You cannot do anything in 40 days. Don’t put a date there; you make the committee and make it open,” Kamal said. Kamal said investigators would encounter “so many other things connected to” the PIMS tragedy and questioned why the committee should be made time-bound if its work extended beyond 40 days. Kamal said decisions arising from the investigation should be based on evidence and pledged, “Whoever is responsible, not a single person will be spared.” He also said the government was prepared to provide information sought by the committee. Read More: PIMS tragedy exposes city hospitals' safety gaps Earlier, speaking in the Senate, Kamal said similar accidents had occurred at different locations across Pakistan, but investigations had often remained inconclusive. “All these accidents can be prevented if those who are responsible, or on whom responsibility falls, are actually punished and there is accountability,” Kamal said. He criticised inquiries that dragged on for years, saying prolonged investigations could allow public attention to fade and tragedies to be forgotten. “When you put them into inquiries, an unending process starts,” he said. “That unending process starts, but it does not come to an end.” Kamal warned that people would “deliberately” delay investigations, allowing the tragedy and its consequences “to fade from public memory," adding that people could forget “that this accident happened, that there was damage, that lives were lost and that there was financial loss.” Calling the PIMS incident “a very big tragedy”, Kamal said responsibility should be established and those responsible identified. “Its responsibility should be fixed, and those who are responsible should be identified,” he said. He said the inquiry should produce results quickly and should not become an open-ended process. “This should come to something within eight to 10 days,” he said. Kamal said parliament had a responsibility beyond legislation, including holding government institutions to account. “Our job is not only legislation; our job is also to hold accountable,” he said. “This accountability should be swift. The biggest thing is that there should be no delay.” Referring to previous incidents, including the Gul Plaza fire, Kamal said their investigations had not produced visible results and warned against allowing the PIMS tragedy to suffer the same fate. “This and all the incidents that have happened before should not be consigned to history,” he said. “Otherwise, there is no accountability.” Kamal also called for the committee’s proceedings to be open to the public so that its accountability process could be scrutinised. He also proposed allowing lawmakers who were not members of the health committee to participate in its proceedings, saying “all parties should participate”. He said parliament should use its existing platforms to ensure “swift” accountability and described the proposed committee as a “robust” platform for examining the tragedy. Kamal also said the PIMS deaths should be viewed against the wider problem of child mortality in Pakistan. “These are not just 14 children,” he said. He said around 400,000 children aged between one and five died every year, adding: “While we are talking, 1,300 children will have died.” Kamal also cited an annual figure of around 11,000 maternal deaths, saying pregnancy was “not a disease” and highlighting the scale of maternal and child mortality in the country. He said he had reviewed extensive health-related data but had not blamed his predecessors for the situation. “I have seen a lot of facts and figures. I have had a lot of responsibilities. I have never spoken of my predecessor, that because of this person or that person this happened,” he said. The prime minister had already formed a committee to investigate the PIMS tragedy, while lawmakers in both houses called for a parliamentary mechanism to establish what happened and determine responsibility. The government also announced Rs5 million in compensation for each affected family.