28 August 2004	Saturday	11 Rajab 1425

LAHORE, Aug 27: Officials of the Postgraduate Medical Institute and the Services Institute of Medical Sciences clashed on Friday over the occupation of offices on the PGMI campus.

Following a directive issued by Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi for the shifting of the PGMI to the LGH, Health Secretary Sohail Ahmad had called a meeting of their principals and decided to give the administrative control of the PGMI campus to the SIMS principal.

The meeting, held on Aug 13, had also decided that the SIMS principal would also take over the PGMI principal's office to handle the affairs of over 300 students currently studying at SIMS.

It was also decided that the PGMI would hand over its auditorium at the Services Hospital to the SIMS. The SIMS principal was also made responsible for the PGMI building's maintenance and payment of utility bills from his budget.

As the PGMI principal has his full-fledged office at the Lahore General Hospital, the health secretary had said the principal would be allowed to establish his camp office at the PGMI to keep some staff members to look after the affairs of post-graduation teaching on the campus.

The decision was agreed upon by PGMI former principal Prof Dr Ali Ajwad Shah and SIMS principal Prof Dr Faisal Masood. The health secretary had also constituted a two-member committee, comprising one member each from the PGMI and SIMS, to implement the finalized adjustments.

Later, it is learnt, SIMS principal Prof Masood agreed to give three out of six rooms to PGMI principal Prof Dr Sajjad Husain. Though Prof Masood had taken over the PGMI principal's main office, the PGMI officials were not vacating the other two rooms as agreed.

Consequently, the SIMS officials accompanied by over a dozen security guards reached PGMI campus and threw the furniture out of the rooms. While, the SIMS officials claimed that the PGMI staff threw their furniture out of the rooms.

Following heated arguments, the officials of the PGMI and the SIMS also clashed. When contacted, Prof Masood said the decision was taken that the SIMS and PGMI's principals would use three rooms each in the PGMI building.

He said the furniture placed by the SIMS' staff in two rooms was thrown out by the PGMI staff that erupted clash between both parties. PGMI/LGH principal Prof Dr Sajjad Husain was not available for comments, as he was at a meeting to discuss the issue till 10.30pm. Prof Husain's spokesman, however, claimed that the principal was planning to meet the health secretary to apprise him of the situation.