Protesters demand arrest of killers, anti-terror clauses in FIR and martyr package for slain doctor
Doctors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa protested on Wednesday after the killing of Dr. Mehwish Hasnain in Kohat. PHOTO: EXPRESS
PESHAWAR:
Medical organizations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa continued their protests for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday, paralyzing dispensaries and elective services in hospitals across the 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 outside hospitals and held banners demanding the immediate arrest of Dr. Mehwish’s killers and justice for the slain doctor.
Due to boycott of routine duties and emergency services in many facilities, OPDs remained deserted and patients faced immense hardship, with scheduled surgeries also badly affected.
Doctors’ representatives expressed serious concerns about the growing sense of insecurity facing doctors in the province. They emphasized 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 staged a two-hour protest demonstration at hospitals, urging 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’s package for the heirs of Dr. Warda Mushtaq, another female doctor who was murdered in Abbottabad, calling for 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 female doctor at the District Headquarters (DHQ) or KDA Hospital in Kohat, took place when she returned home after duty. Unidentified assailants opened fire on her near the hospital premises, killing her on the spot.
Reports suggest the attack stemmed from an earlier dispute at the hospital where she had asked a male attendant to wait outside a woman’s examination area.
Health care providers have warned that without swift action to ensure doctors’ safety, including improved security measures at hospitals, such protests could escalate across the province. Authorities have identified suspects and released photos in some reports, with raids underway, but no arrests have been confirmed following the latest updates.
