Protesters demand arrest of killers, anti-terrorism clauses in FIR and martyrdom package for murdered doctor
Doctors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are protesting on Wednesday after the killing of Dr Mehwish Hasnain in Kohat. PHOTO: EXPRESS
PESHAWAR:
Doctors’ organizations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday continued their protests for the fourth consecutive day, paralyzing outpatient and elective wards of hospitals in Southern districts, Malakand and Mardan divisions, in response to the shocking murder of Dr Mehwish in Kohat.
Young doctors, under the banner of Young Doctors Association (YDA), along with the Provincial Doctors Association, staged protests outside hospitals, holding banners demanding immediate arrest of Dr Mehwish’s killers and justice for the murdered doctor.
Due to boycott of routine duties and emergency services in many establishments, OPDs remained deserted and patients faced immense difficulties with scheduled operations also being badly affected.
Doctors’ representatives have expressed serious concerns over the growing sense of insecurity faced by health professionals in the province. They stressed that even though three days have passed since the incident, no arrests have been made. “The demonstrations will continue until the culprits are apprehended,” they promised.
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The Provincial Doctors Association staged a two-hour protest demonstration at hospitals and called on the government to amend the administrative first information report (FIR) in Mehwish’s case to include sections related to terrorism.
They also renewed their demand for a martyr package for the heirs of Dr Warda Mushtaq, another woman doctor murdered in Abbottabad, and sought immediate implementation of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report into her assassination, which was reportedly pending with the chief minister for the past two months.
The murder of Dr Mehwish, a woman doctor at the District Headquarters (DHQ) or KDA Hospital in Kohat, occurred when she was returning home from duty. Unidentified assailants opened fire on her near the hospital, killing her instantly.
Reports say the attack stemmed from an earlier argument at the hospital, during which she asked an attendant to wait outside a women’s exam area.
Health care providers have warned that without rapid action to ensure the safety of doctors, including strengthening security measures at hospitals, such protests could intensify province-wide. Authorities have identified suspects and released photos in some reports, and searches are underway, but no arrests have been confirmed according to the latest updates.
