Protesters demand arrest of killers, anti-terror clauses in FIR and martyr’s package for slain doctor
Doctors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa protest on Wednesday following the murder of Dr Mehwish Hasnain in Kohat. PHOTO: EXPRESS
PESHAWAR:
Doctors’ organizations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa continued their protests for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday, paralyzing outpatient departments and elective services in hospitals in southern districts, Malakand and Mardan divisions in response to the shocking murder of Dr Mehwish in Kohat.
The young doctors, under the banner of the Young Doctors Association (YDA), together with the Provincial Doctors Association, staged demonstrations in front of hospitals, holding banners demanding the immediate arrest of Dr Mehwish’s killers and justice for the murdered doctor.
Due to boycott of routine tasks and emergency services in many facilities, OPDs remained deserted and patients faced immense difficulties and scheduled operations were also severely affected.
Physician representatives expressed serious concern over the growing sense of insecurity faced by medical professionals in the province. They highlighted that despite three days having passed since the incident, no arrests have been made. “The protests will continue until the culprits are arrested,” they promised.
Read more: At least seven children killed in cylinder explosion at Chaman’s house in Balochistan
The Provincial Doctors Association held a two-hour protest rally at hospitals and asked the government to amend the administrative First Information Report (FIR) in the Mehwish case to include sections related to terrorism.
They also renewed their demand for a martyr’s package for the heirs of Dr Warda Mushtaq, another doctor murdered in Abbottabad, and urged immediate implementation of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report into her murder, which has reportedly been pending before the prime minister for two months.
The murder of Dr Mehwish, a doctor at the district headquarters (DHQ) or KDA hospital in Kohat, occurred when she was returning home after her shift. Unidentified assailants opened fire on her near the hospital and killed her on the spot.
Reports indicate that the attack stemmed from a previous dispute at the hospital, where she had asked a male attendant to wait outside the women’s examination area.
Health care providers have warned that without quick action to ensure the safety of doctors, including enhanced security measures at hospitals, these types of protests could escalate across the province. Authorities have identified suspects and released photos in some reports, and raids are ongoing, but no arrests have been confirmed as of the latest updates.
