Islamabad – For Pakistan’s Christian community, the tragedy at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, where 14 newborn babies died following a fire, is an opportunity to renew a presence marked by concrete compassion: praying for those who suffer, standing beside the families, and remembering that every human life, especially the most fragile and defenseless, calls to be protected and cared for.
On August 26, a fire broke out in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Of the 15 newborns in the unit, only one survived, rescued by a nurse. Without hesitation, Razia Noreen faced the flames, entered the smoke-filled unit and, a few seconds later, emerged carrying a newborn in her arms.
Security camera footage captured the moments when Noreen, a Christian nurse, run into the burning nursery and emerged seconds later with the newborn in her arms. She tired to go back in, but couldn’t because of the flames and thick smoke.
“I love children, and caring for them is my passion,” Noreen said, still deeply shaken. “I wanted to save the others, but the fire spread through the nursery within two minutes. I cannot sleep. Those babies do not let me sleep.”
Her testimony, together with the surveillance footage, has moved people across the country.
Razia Noreen’s actions were also recognized and commended by the authorities. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the award of the “Sitara-i-Khidmat” , one of Pakistan’s civilian honors, together with a cash award of 10 million rupees.
The Prime Minister praised her sense of duty and the courage she showed in putting her own life at risk to save the newborn.
Alongside the actions of the nurse, the small Christian community of Islamabad and Rawalpindi is experiencing the tragedy through prayer and closeness to the families. Parishes of the Archdiocese of Rawalpindi-Islamabad have organized prayer vigils and commemorations for the babies who died, while priests and faithful are accompanying the parents and relatives in prayer as they face a loss that is difficult to comprehend.
The local Church fully shares the grief of the city and of the entire country.
“We do not want to be merely spectators of suffering”: this is the meaning of the pastoral response of the Archdiocese. The Church intends to share the city’s suffering and turn prayer into closeness, solidarity and a commitment to ensure that such tragedies do not happen again.
Archbishop Joseph Arshad of Rawalpindi-Islamabad expressed the Catholic community’s sorrow over the deaths of the newborns.
“The tragic deaths of these innocent children have deeply saddened everyone,” he said, expressing solidarity with the families and offering his condolences for “an irreparable loss.”
The Archbishop also recalled Pope Leo XIV’s closeness and prayers for the affected families, the injured and all those involved in the tragedy, and invited the faithful to pray so that God may grant their parents and relatives “strength and courage.”
For the Church, prayer is also accompanied by a call for accountability.
“This tragedy must serve as an urgent wake-up call,” the Archbishop stressed, so that safety measures in hospitals are thoroughly reviewed and strengthened and no family is ever again forced to endure suffering that could have been prevented.
The fire broke out in the early hours of August 26 on the third floor of the PIMS maternal and child health ward, one of the capital’s main public hospitals. According to initial findings, the fire may have started in connection with an air-conditioning system and spread rapidly, also because of the presence of oxygen being used in the incubators.
Of the 15 newborns in the ward, 14 died.
A government investigation has uncovered serious shortcomings in the hospital’s safety and evacuation systems. The preliminary report identified the lack of adequate fire detection and alarm systems, deficiencies in emergency preparedness and problems with evacuation routes.
The government ordered the suspension of eight PIMS officials and the initiation of criminal proceedings against those identified as responsible by the investigation. It also announced financial assistance of 5 million rupees for each affected family.
“No compensation,” Qaisar Feroz, OFM Cap, spokesperson for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Pakistan, told Fides, “can make up for the loss of a newborn child. This is the pain that, as a Catholic community, we seek to share through prayer and by being present alongside the families. In the midst of suffering, caring for another person can become a radical gesture of fraternity.”
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