President approves Tamgha-i-Shujaat for Pims nurse who saved newborn during deadly fire

President approves Tamgha-i-Shujaat for Pims nurse who saved newborn during deadly fire

President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday gave his approval for conferring the Tamgha-i-Shujaat on Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) nurse Razia Noreen, who saved the life of a newborn during a fire at the facility that killed 14 infants. The announcement was made by the Presidency. It added that the president had also approved several bills, including the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) Amendment Bill, 2026, the Standard Time (Interpretation of References) Amendment Bill, 2026, and another related to the management of hazardous materials in ships. The August 26 fire at a nursery in Pims’ Mother and Child Hospital claimed the lives of 14 newborns. The incident raised concerns over fire safety measures and sparked calls for accountability, with criminal action being ordered against eight officials. CCTV footage of the incident showed Noreen entering the nursery as flames grew and emerging seconds later carrying a baby. She then attempted to re-enter the nursery shortly afterwards, but the fire had spread by then. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had awarded Noreen a Rs10 million cheque in recognition of her extraordinary bravery and sense of duty. In her remarks, Noreen said she was carrying out her responsibility, as people had entrusted the children to her at that moment and the responsibility rested on her shoulders. Meanwhile, a committee formed to probe the fire said on Wednesday the deadly blaze was most likely caused by a localised electrical failure, while also calling out the hospital management for systemic and institutional failure that turned the fire into a catastrophe. Citing CCTV footage, which established “an exceptionally rapid emergency”, the report also said the evidence “rejects any generalised allegation that frontline personnel abandoned the newborns”.