QUETTA:
At least seven protesting doctors were injured, two of whom received multiple bullet wounds, and more than two dozen were arrested when police intervened in an attempt to crush their protest rally. Police officials unleashed tear gas shells and resorted to aerial firing on Tuesday forenoon causing the injuries.
Earlier, doctors took out a procession from the Sandeman Hospital intending to hold a sit-in in front of the Chief Minister Secretariat in order to press the authorities to fulfil their demands of pay raises and benefits equivalent to doctors performing their duties in the federal capital.
Police officials used force when the protesting doctors tried to break the police line preventing them from moving towards the Chief Minister Secretariat where they planned to stage a sit-in. When the protesters ignored the police warnings, the police officials lobbed tear gas shells and tried to disperse the rally.
At least seven doctors sustained injuries in the clash. Some policemen fired blank shots in the air to scare off the protesters and forced them to disperse immediately.
“Dr Bazai received four bullet wounds while Dr Umrani has sustained two bullet injuries,” sources at hospital revealed.
Protesting doctors claimed that police opened straight fire at the procession with orders to kill some of the doctors. “The police’s intentions were quite clear when they shot our colleagues,” said Dr Abdul Rashed Nasir of Young Doctors Association (YDA).
The doctors announced that all the emergency units will remain closed till today (Wednesday) 10:00 am to register their protest with the government.
Meanwhile Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani has said that the government will not be blackmailed by the doctors but promised that he would look into their problems. “I have constituted a committee to look into the doctors’ demands therefore there is no justification for them to prolong the senseless strike,” he said while presiding over a high-level meeting to review the matter.
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