A Moment for Reflection
The tragic loss of newborn lives in the PIMS fire has touched the conscience of the entire nation. Fourteen families have suffered an irreparable loss, while the government has ordered an inquiry into the circumstances of the incident, including fire safety, emergency arrangements and the institutional response. The inquiry must establish the facts and identify the lessons that can prevent such a tragedy from being repeated.
For a responsible state, however, a tragedy involving its citizens carries a responsibility beyond mourning. It provides an opportunity to examine systems, identify vulnerabilities and ensure that preventable risks are addressed before they become disasters.
Pakistan At The Front Line of Peace
Pakistan today carries responsibilities on several fronts. It continues to safeguard its national security while also contributing to regional stability and pursuing diplomatic engagement in a neighbourhood facing serious tensions. The recent engagement with Iran reflects Pakistan’s preference for dialogue, de-escalation and peaceful solutions.
This role is important because Pakistan has acquired considerable experience in dealing with difficult regional circumstances. Its strength is demonstrated not only through its capacity to respond to crises, but also through its willingness to prevent them.
The same principle applies within the country. A state seeking stability in its region must continuously strengthen the institutions that provide safety, confidence and dignity to its own citizens.
The Meaning of Rett på Sak
The Norwegian expression rett på sak offers a useful way of understanding this responsibility. It means going directly to the matter, without allowing unnecessary complexity to obscure the issue.
For Pakistan, this can become a practical principle of governance: when a vulnerability becomes visible, examine it directly, establish the facts, correct what requires correction and ensure that the lesson is implemented.
This does not mean reaching conclusions before an investigation, nor does it mean weakening due process. It means that once facts are established, the institutional response should be clear, professional and timely.
A strong state is not one that claims every system is perfect. It is one that has the confidence and capacity to recognize weaknesses, learn from them and improve.
From Authority to Responsibility
Every institution derives its strength not simply from the authority attached to its office, but from the responsibility with which that authority is exercised. Positions provide powers; performance earns confidence.
That principle is particularly important in public administration. The real measure of an institution is not the number of regulations it possesses or the authority written into its mandate, but whether that authority produces competent results for the people it serves.
Fire safety, emergency preparedness, hospital security and professional standards are therefore not routine administrative matters. They are expressions of the state’s responsibility toward human life.
The PIMS tragedy should encourage a wider examination of preparedness wherever citizens depend upon public institutions, particularly hospitals, schools and facilities serving vulnerable people. The objective should not be another layer of bureaucracy, but stronger implementation of standards that already exist.
Learning Before the Next Crisis
Pakistan has laws, procedures and capable institutions. The challenge is to ensure that systems remain effective in practice.
If safety equipment requires regular inspection, it must be inspected. If emergency procedures require training, that training must take place. If responsibilities are assigned, they must be understood and fulfilled. If a weakness is identified, it should not be allowed to remain unresolved until circumstances turn it into a national tragedy.
This is where rett på sak becomes meaningful: identify the vulnerability and close the gap before it becomes a crisis.
The same principle should guide every department of government. Institutions that perform well should be strengthened; weaknesses should be corrected; and where negligence or wrongdoing is established through due process, the law should take its course.
Such accountability is not contrary to the strength of the state. It is one of its foundations. Pakistan’s strength must serve Pakistan
Pakistan’s role in promoting regional peace should be regarded as an expression of confidence and responsibility. A country does not need confrontation to demonstrate strength. It can maintain principled relations with its neighbours and international partners while keeping its national interests firmly in view but diplomacy abroad and institutional performance at home must reinforce one another.
Pakistan’s efforts to reduce tensions around it become even more meaningful when accompanied by a determined effort to strengthen the systems within it. A stable neighbourhood, secure borders and reliable public institutions ultimately serve the same national purpose: protecting the lives, dignity and future of the Pakistani people.
Enough is Enough Means Acting Wisely
The phrase “enough is enough” should not mean rushing to blame individuals or bypassing established procedures. It should mean that once a weakness is identified and the facts are known, the state does not allow the matter to disappear into prolonged administrative uncertainty.
The right response is straightforward: establish the truth, accept the lesson, correct the weakness and ensure that the correction becomes part of institutional practice.
That is decisive government without unnecessary harshness, and accountability without injustice.
A Stronger State Through Continuous Improvement
The PIMS tragedy should therefore become more than a moment of national grief. It should encourage institutions across the country to ask whether their systems are prepared for the responsibilities placed upon them.
This is not a call to lose confidence in Pakistan’s institutions. It is a call to strengthen that confidence.
A mature state continuously renews itself. It does not wait for every weakness to become a crisis before responding. It rewards competence, encourages professional responsibility and ensures that authority remains connected to performance.
Pakistan has demonstrated resilience through some of the most difficult security and geopolitical circumstances. It has also earned an important place in regional diplomacy through its willingness to engage, mediate and support peace.
That strength must now continue at home.
Pakistan should remain a country that helps make its neighbourhood safer, while ensuring that its own citizens feel protected by capable and dependable institutions.
Perhaps that is the simplest meaning of rett på sak: go directly to the problem, establish the truth, strengthen the system and act before it is too late.
Pakistan does not need perfection from its institutions. It needs responsibility, competence, continuity and the determination to learn. The country’s diplomatic efforts and its institutional strength at home are not separate missions. They are part of the same national responsibility.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or position of this website. The website does not endorse or oppose any opinion presented herein.