Protesters demand arrest of killers, anti-terrorism clauses in FIR, and martyr package for slain doctor
Doctors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa protesting on Wednesday after the killing of Dr Mehwish Hasnain in Kohat. PHOTO: EXPRESS
PESHAWAR:
Doctors’ organisations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa continued their protests for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday, paralysing outpatient departments and elective services in hospitals across 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), along with the Provincial Doctors Association, staged demonstrations outside hospitals, holding banners demanding the immediate arrest of Dr Mehwish’s killers and justice for the slain physician.
Due to the boycott of routine duties and emergency services in many facilities, OPDs remained deserted, and patients faced immense hardships, with scheduled operations also badly affected.
Doctors representatives expressed grave concerns over the growing sense of insecurity faced by medical professionals in the province. They emphasised that despite three days having passed since the incident, no arrests had been made. “The protests will continue until the culprits are apprehended,” they vowed.
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The Provincial Doctors Association held a two-hour protest demonstration in 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 female doctor murdered in Abbottabad, and urged immediate implementation of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report on her killing, which has reportedly been pending with the chief minister for two months.
The murder of Dr Mehwish, a lady doctor at the District Headquarters (DHQ) or KDA Hospital in Kohat, occurred as she was returning home after duty. Unidentified assailants opened fire on her near the hospital premises, killing her on the spot.
Reports indicate the attack stemmed from a prior dispute at the hospital, where she had asked a male attendant to wait outside a women’s examination area.
Healthcare providers have warned that without swift action to ensure doctors’ safety, including enhanced security measures at hospitals, such protests could escalate province-wide. Authorities have identified suspects and released photos in some reports, with raids ongoing, but no arrests have been confirmed as of the latest updates.
