The directives issued by the Prime Minister’s Office following the tragic fire incident at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) deserve appreciation. The swift response to the interim inquiry report, including directions for disciplinary and criminal proceedings against those found responsible, demonstrates that the state can act promptly when it chooses to do so. It is hoped that this accountability process will be taken to its logical conclusion and that responsibility will ultimately be determined strictly in accordance with law.

However, this episode also raises a much larger and more fundamental question: What is the real problem confronting Pakistan today?

In my view, one of the most serious causes of public frustration, institutional indiscipline, violation of rules and growing unrest is the failure to ensure timely dispensation of justice.

Justice delayed is not merely a legal inconvenience. It gradually destroys public confidence in the entire system. When a citizen approaches a court seeking protection of his legal rights, he expects a decision within a reasonable period. If proceedings continue for years without meaningful progress, the very purpose of seeking judicial relief is undermined.

The problem becomes even more serious when individuals or institutions violating the law know that the matter may remain pending before the courts for an indefinite period. Delay itself can become an incentive for the violator. A person who knows that a challenge to an unlawful action may take years to reach its conclusion may have little fear of immediate consequences.

This is where the importance of the Prime Minister’s prompt action in the PIMS matter becomes particularly relevant. The government has demonstrated that, where there is will and institutional commitment, an inquiry can be conducted and consequential action can be initiated without unnecessary delay. The same principle of promptness, certainty and finality is desperately needed in the administration of justice.

I say this not merely as an observer but also from personal experience. One of my cases is pending before the Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan. The matter was last heard in October 2025, and the order passed by the Honourable Court expressly directed that the case be fixed after three weeks. That period passed, but the matter was not fixed as directed and, to date, the case has not received the next hearing.
Similarly, another matter concerning me before a learned Single Bench of the Islamabad High Court was last fixed in June 2025, whereas it has now been fixed for September 2026.

These are not merely dates on a calendar. For a litigant, every month of delay has consequences. Rights remain uncertain, disputed matters remain unresolved, and those benefiting from the status quo continue to enjoy its advantages.

The issue, therefore, is not simply the number of cases pending before our courts. The deeper issue is whether our justice system can provide a timely, predictable and effective remedy to a citizen whose rights have been violated.

Accountability and justice must go hand in hand. An inquiry that begins quickly but takes years to conclude will ultimately lose much of its deterrent effect. Conversely, a judicial system in which unlawful actions are challenged and decided promptly creates a powerful deterrent against abuse of authority.

Pakistan does not merely need more inquiries, more committees or more investigations. Pakistan needs timely conclusions. Whether it is an administrative violation, financial irregularity, abuse of authority, denial of a legal right or a criminal offence, the system must provide a mechanism through which responsibility is determined within a reasonable time and the lawful consequence follows.

The Prime Minister’s swift intervention in the PIMS tragedy therefore provides an important example. It demonstrates that the state machinery can respond with urgency when a matter receives appropriate attention. The same urgency should become a permanent feature of our justice and accountability systems.

The objective should not be to punish everyone. The objective should be to ensure that the innocent is protected, the guilty is held responsible, and the citizen receives justice without unreasonable delay.

If Pakistan succeeds in ensuring timely dispensation of justice—from the lower courts to the High Courts and ultimately the Supreme Court—it can substantially restore public confidence in the rule of law. It can also discourage those who deliberately violate rules on the assumption that legal proceedings will take years to conclude.
The unrest, frustration and sense of helplessness prevailing in society cannot be addressed merely through administrative measures. People must believe that the law works, that courts will decide matters within a reasonable time, and that unlawful conduct will have timely consequences.
The Prime Minister deserves appreciation for initiating prompt action in the PIMS case. The nation will now look forward to its logical conclusion.

But the larger lesson should not be lost: timely accountability is important; timely justice is indispensable.
Without timely justice, the rule of law remains incomplete. With timely justice, accountability becomes meaningful, rights become enforceable, and public confidence in the state can gradually be restored.

Dr. Alamdar Hussain Malik
Advisor Academics, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Swat
Former Financial Advisor, Finance Division, Government of Pakistan