PGMI principal calls on Zardari, CJ to look into Aftab Qureshi killing

Qureshi, 56, was a leading neurosurgeon who was killed during a police raid staged to recover him.

LAHORE: While investigators are investigating a police raid, staged for the recovery of Dr Aftab Ahmed Qureshi that unfortunately resulted in his death, Post Graduate Medical Institute (PGMI) Principal and senior professor of neurosurgery Professor Tariq Salahuddin has called on Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to look into the matter.

Qureshi, 56, was a leading neurosurgeon and worked as the chairman of the department of neurosurgery at Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS), Jamshoro. He was kidnapped in Karachi on May 12 while he was leaving his clinic.

In his letter to the president, prime minister and chief justice, Salahuddin maintained that Qureshi was one of just 17 professors of neurosurgery in Pakistan, who devoted his entire life for the betterment of the patients.

The letter further said that for Pakistanis “each day is another day lived, during which some of us manage to survive and some unfortunate souls like Dr Aftab Qureshi dont make it.”

“This is not the way a civilised society exists, especially one that is governed by a so-called democracy claiming to have done wonders in the past four years. The only thing we have seen in the passing years is the deflation of the human life, its value eroding to negative, people from all walks of life are executed brutally in broad day light and yet no one seems to be doing anything about it,” the letter stated.

Addressing Zardari, Gilani and Chaudhary directly in the letter, Salahuddin questioned “why are you all eyeing this [Qureshi’s death] in complete silence and no action is being taken to control this situation which is worsening day by day and leading to creation of mass graves of innocent citizens of Pakistan.”