Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Thursday said that cases against those responsible for the Pims fire would start being registered within the next two to three days. Chaudhry said eight people, including the executive director of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), have been suspended following the preliminary report into the incident.

The deadly fire at the hospital's gynaecology ward - housing 15 newborns - claimed the lives of 14 infants on August 26. He said the high-level committee formed to probe the incident would submit its final report within the next two days, which would determine the extent of negligence or fault of each of the eight individuals. After that, cases will be registered individually against these eight people, Chaudhry said.

In a meeting a day earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed that officials found guilty of criminal negligence in the fire incident would be shown no leniency. An interim inquiry report into the fire said the precise source of ignition remains technically unresolved, but cleared frontline clinical staff of abandoning the infants, stating that CCTV evidence showed immediate rescue attempts were made.

The committee said circumstances involving mandatory fire exits allegedly being locked or obstructed, possible culpable failure to act upon previously identified life-safety deficiencies, and any established culpable delay in summoning external emergency services should be referred for criminal investigation where verification disclosed the ingredients of a cognizable offence.