Surgeon’s slaying: SHC seeks detailed report from police by June 21

PMA says doctors are being specifically targeted by criminals.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday directed the police to file a detailed report by June 21, about the kidnapping and later death of Surgeon Aftab Ahmed Qureshi during an alleged encounter between his captors and a joint raiding party of Karachi Police and Citizen Police Liaison Committee.

This directive came during the hearing of two petitions arising out of two separate letters written to Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court, one by president of Pakistan Medical Association and another by a member of the Sindh Assembly on the identical issue of increasing crimes in Sindh particularly kidnapping for ransom and killings.

The letters were converted into petitions on the orders of the Chief Justice and notices were issued for today to the Advocate General Sindh, Home Secretary Sindh, Inspector General Police and other high ranking police officers.

Doctor Waseem Shaikh, President of the PMA, in his letter requested the chief justice to take notice of the killing of surgeon Qureshi who lost his life in a botched operation allegedly due to ill-planning of the CPLC.

The doctors are being specifically targeted as they are regarded as ‘soft target’ by criminals, gangs of kidnappers, the letter said seeking orders for a ‘judicial inquiry’ into the death of Surgeon Qureshi.

The second letter was written by MPA Sheharyar Mahar from Shikarpur who stated that law and order situation in the district has deteriorated to a dangerous level. According to him, posting of “non-competent police officers” on political grounds is the basic cause behind ever worsening law and order and increase in crimes.

A number of prominent doctors including office bearers of the Pakistan Medical Association were present during the hearing on Thursday. The court was about to rise when the chairperson of PMA requested the court to hear the matter.

The doctors are being killed frequently, while one doctor returns from captivity of kidnappers, another is whisked away, she said pointing out the urgency of the matter, he said.

The bench later took up the petition in the chamber and after hearing the counsel for petitioner, PMA, ordered police authorities to submit by June 21, a detailed report about the alleged incident.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2012.