ISLAMABAD, April 7: Around 30 doctors of 21st MBBS course of Army Medical College (AMC) were placed under “close arrest” while four were dismissed from Pakistan Military Academy on charges of mutiny and disobedience.

One of the doctors, sources said, was dismissed on charge of disobedience for refusing to wear shorts. The AMC doctor termed the dress un-Islamic and refused to wear the PT kit, the sources added.

The other three doctors have been dismissed on charges of mutiny.

The 30 AMC doctors, who were placed under “close arrest”, protested the “inhumane” treatment meted out to doctors allegedly by the “intermediate-qualified army officials” at Kakul, the sources said.

When contacted for comments, Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) officials confirmed the mutiny and disobedience incident, which occurred at Kakul about a month ago. However, the ISPR officials said it was not immediately known when the decision to terminate the doctors was taken.

The sources said the Army authorities instituted an inquiry into the incident. The punishments were handed out recently. Some 14 of the 30 doctors who were initially arrested “have been relegated,” the sources added.

The four terminated doctors would not be given the rank of Captain at the passing-out ceremony scheduled to be held on April 15, the sources said.

The doctors of the 21st MBBS course had been sent to PMA Kakul after they completed five years’ medical education at AMC, Rawalpindi, in a departure from past traditions.

Previously, the AMC doctors were acclimatised to Army training at Army Medical Centre, Abbotabad. In only one instant, the 11th MBBS course was sent to PMA. However, the then authorities, considering the different nature of duties of Army doctors, decided to abandon the practice of putting those who had completed five years of training at AMC to undergo the strict regime of Boot Camp training at Kakul.

Problems were encountered during the training of 11th MBBS course at Kakul as well, the sources said, adding “it is unjustified to put the doctors through the same regime as other soldiers.’’