Senators Clash Over Gujranwala Worker’s Death in Committee Meeting

The subject of the heated confrontation between PML-N's Abid Sher Ali and ANP's Aimal Wali Khan in the Senate Human Rights Committee on Wednesday was the death of a Gujranwala sanitary worker, not a fire at PIMS as previously understood.

The committee, chaired by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, was reviewing the case of a Gujranwala Waste Management Company (GWMC) employee who allegedly died by suicide. Tensions escalated when Senator Khan questioned officials from Suthra Punjab, prompting Senator Ali to object to his tone, saying, “Listen to them — you are conducting an inquiry and asking questions as if you are sitting in a police station.”

Khan retorted, “I am speaking properly — you speak properly too,” before other senators intervened to calm the situation.

Officials informed the committee that the worker's contract had expired on May 31, 2026, and the alleged suicide occurred after his employment ended. Khan alleged the worker had been paid only half his salary, driving him to the act. However, the GWMC CEO disputed this, stating bank records showed full salary payments and that the worker had performance issues.

The confrontation reportedly centered on the lack of a First Information Report (FIR) following a fire in the nursery of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), which is said to have resulted in the deaths of 14 newborn babies.

The heated exchange between PML-N's Abid Sher Ali and ANP's Aimal Wali Khan in a Senate committee meeting on Wednesday was reportedly over the failure to register a First Information Report (FIR) for an incident at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

Both politicians expressed anger during the proceedings of the Senate Human Rights Committee regarding the lack of an FIR in the PIMS case.