Kharotabad incident: Doctors protest witness’ killing

Dr Shah laid to rest; PMA announces three-day mourning.


Shezad Baloch December 31, 2011

QUETTA: Government run-hospitals in major parts of Balochistan remained closed on Friday to protest the killing of police surgeon Dr Syed Baqar Shah, a key witness in the Kharotabad incident.

Dr Shah was shot dead by two unidentified armed men near Golimar Chowk while on his way home from the Bolan Medical College Hospital (BMC) on Thursday afternoon.

He had carried out the autopsies of five foreigners, including two women, who were shot dead by security personnel in Kharotabad on the pretext of being ‘terrorists’ on May 17.

Dr Shah was laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard in Dera Murad Jamali. His funeral prayers were offered in Jacobabad and were attended by tribal elders, politicians and doctors. The police have rounded up around 50 suspects during raids conducted in different parts of Quetta.

CCPO Eshan Mehboob has said there is no major breakthrough in the case; however, suspects are being questioned and all-out efforts are underway to trace the criminals.

The police also constituted an inquiry team to investigate the murder.

Three-day mourning

The OPDs of three major hospitals of Quetta remained closed on Friday. Doctors, however, did attend emergency cases.

The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Balochistan and the Baloch Doctors Forum called for three days of mourning and announced that all state-run hospitals across the province will remain closed.

President PMA Balochistan Sultan Tareen, while addressing a news conference at the Sandeman Hospital, said that doctors will go on strike for an indefinite period if the culprits behind the killing are not brought to justice.

He said that as many as six doctors have so far been killed in different areas of Balochistan during the past five months and law enforcement agencies have failed to trace a single culprit.

He added that the government is not sincere and serious in ensuring the protection of doctors. The PMA will convene its general body meeting on Saturday to decide its future course of action against killings of doctors.

Condemnation

Meanwhile, condemning the killing, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Balochistan staged a protest demonstration outside the Quetta Press Club.

Protestors raised slogans against the government and law enforcement agencies for their failure to protect the doctor.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 31st, 2011.

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