LAST week’s horrific fire tragedy at the Pims’ nursery has elicited a flurry of responses from the state. Inquiries have been launched, officials have faced the axe, and pledges have been made to rectify the glaring lacunae that led to the heart-wrenching deaths of 14 newborns at the Islamabad hospital.

Yet while the sudden burst of activity is expected, these promises will remain meaningless unless the state prioritises safety protocols at hospitals and all major public and private buildings. The findings of the inquiry report are damning. It says that while the cause of the fire cannot be conclusively established at this point, there were “serious shortcomings” in Pims’ fire safety arrangements. A fire had........

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