Doctor who ran picket shot, injured

DPO vows fair probe of incident

ABBOTTABAD: A plastic surgeon who was allegedly trying to run a police picket was shot and injured with conflicting reports about who fired the bullet.

The plastic surgeon, who works at a private hospital in Abbottabad, is currently admitted in the Ayub Teaching Hospital.

According to Abbottabad DPO Syed Ashfaq Anwar, a police squad manning a check post at Panj Pir Chowk signalled Dr Shahid Raza to stop his car at around 2:30am early on Friday morning.

The doctor, who officials claimed was drunk, first ran a checkpoint at Shezad Chowk and then the one at Panj Pir Chowk after ramming a police van.

Anwar added that the allegedly rowdy doctor, who was travelling with an unidentified companion, also allegedly fired at the police squad. One of the bullets struck the surgeon, injuring him.

However, the companion managed to flee owing to the darkness.

However, reports suggested that the police had opened fire on the doctor’s car with an inspection of the sports utility vehicle showing that the bullet entered the car from the rear window and through the seat and struck Dr Raza.

The DPO, while responding to a question from reporters, said that they had ordered an inquiry into the incident and vowed that the probe will be conducted fairly, assuring that justice will be done.

However, the police had in the meantime lodged an FIR against the doctor in the City Police Station, though no report was registered on the complaint of Dr Raza with his condition described as critical.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 28^th, 2017.