Office politics by the bullet

Armed men break into Multan Institute of Cardiology, broke down doors of executive director’s room.

MULTAN: On Wednesday, armed men broke into the Multan Institute of Cardiology and broke down doors of the executive director’s room.

According to eyewitnesses, MPA Muhammad Ali Gardezi and MPA Nazim Shah hired thugs to brow beat the hospital medical superintendent into opening MPA Gardezi’s old office.

The accused men fled the hospital premises when police officials were called in by several residents on duty at the institute.

Executive director Multan Institute of Cardiology, MPA Muhammad Ali Gardezi was suspended several months ago on charges of corruption involving bogus appointments and money laundering.  Gardezi’s case recently reached the Lahore High Court (LHC) where the judge ordered that his suspension orders be suspended and issued a stay order.

On Wednesday, the former executive director of the cardiac institute entered the hospital and demanded that his room be opened, the salary and accounts department complained that the MPA had not yet been officially reinstated to his former post.“I didn’t need to be reinstated, the court absolved me and the staff was trying to keep me out of my own office,” Gardezi said.

MPA Shah then arrived at the institute with armed men and broke down the locked doors of the MPAs former office. “Gardezi has been restored by the court but the present MS does not want him to continue and is vying for his post,” Shah said, denying that any violence had taken place. “We merely assured that Gardezi got his office back,” he said.

Medical superintendent (MS) Fazalur Rehman said that he had not received any orders to reinstate Gardezi and that he was merely carrying out his duty.

“They both threatened me and said that I would die for my insolence of daring to refuse them entry. They said this was ‘their’ hospital,” Rehman said. According to doctors at the hospital, MPA Shah and his armed men had beat up a security guard and destroyed hospital property. “They broke several windows and doors and fired bullets into the air,” Dr Zafar Karim said.

Doctors at the hospital called the police to control the situation and the matter was resolved soon after the police arrived on the scene. MPA Shah said Gardezi has been restored by the court but the MS does was refusing him entry and the police allowed Gardezi to enter his offices.

MS Rehman said that he would file abuse charges against both MPAs with the police.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 7^th, 2010.