Chohan urges lawyers, doctors to show restraint

Punjab information minister says govt has kept doctors, lawyers and judiciary onboard on all matters

LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan has called on people belonging to medical and legal professions to show restraint in view of the recent tragic incident at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC).

Addressing a news conference in Lahore on Saturday, he said no institution, department or person is above the law and the government is committed to establish the writ of the state. He was responding to a question as why only the lawyers had been arrested in the wake of PIC incident.

The minister reiterated that no one – whether he is a lawyer, doctor or any other person – should take the law into their hands.

Before the attack, a video of a PIC doctor went viral in which he was seen standing in the hospital premises with his colleagues ridiculing the lawyers. Referring to the footage, Chohan expressed his regret and declared that it was because of the video that such a violent incident took place.

Addressing the lawyers and doctors, he said, “Your professions are sacred. One of you ensures justice for people while the other strives for life and health [of others]. This is why you people should be more careful in the selection of words, while making audios and videos.”

He noted that Hassaan Niazi, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s nephew who was part of the lawyers’ group that attacked the PIC, was in the first place son of a journalist and analyst, Hafeezullah Niazi.

“It is mentioned on the Twitter account of Hassaan Niazi that he has nothing to do with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

“For the last two-and-a-half years, he has some personal activities and he is not linked with the PTI.

“But despite the fact, he had been identified through TV channels and CCTV cameras and action is being taken against him,” he added.

He said around five homes, farmhouse and other places had been raided in search of Niazi. “However, he would soon be arrested,” he added.

Censuring Shehbaz Sharif, Chohan said during his tenure as former Punjab chief minister, his relatives had also violated the law but no action was taken against them.

The minister said the government kept the doctors, lawyers and judiciary onboard.  He said 90% of the lawyers understood the fact that whatever happened at the PIC was not good for the society.

“After the PIC incident, Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to hold cabinet committee meeting on daily basis to maintain law and order and resolve the issues.”

The minister told the reporters that around 54 lawyers had been arrested, 47 were in jail on judicial remand, while seven were in police custody on physical remand.

"It was decided on the first day that the PIC would be restored and rebuilt within 48 hours and by 8pm yesterday [Friday], PIC's ICU and emergency has been restored even in a better way,” he said.

Chohan said families of two of the three persons who died in the incident were given a cheque of Rs1 million each by PTI leaders Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed and Dr Yasmeen Rashid, while the vehicles that were damaged in the PIC had been compensated.