HYDERABAD/LARKANA: Dr Imdad Ali Soomro, the deputy medical superintendent at the Sir CJ Institute of Psychiatry, Jamshoro, was found dead 20 days after he was kidnapped in Kotri. His death triggered a sharp reaction from doctors community in several parts of the province.

Dr Soomro was kidnapped while he was returning home in the Mehran University Employees Cooperative Housing Society, Jamshoro, after closing his clinic in Kotri some 20 days ago.

On Friday, his body was found dumped near the Jamshoro Thermal Power Station within the jurisdiction of the Jamshoro police station.

Dr Imdad Ali Soomro found dead 20 days after being kidnapped

Police carried out raids on various suspected hideouts of kidnappers soon after the recovery of the body, and arrested three suspects and claimed to have seized arms from them.

Jamshoro SSP Syed Wasi Hyder Shah identified the suspects as police head-constable Hakim, constable Mohammad Ali and Barkat. He said they were believed to be members of a six-seven member gang.

More raids were being carried out to apprehend the remaining members of the gang, he added.Meanwhile, a post-mortem examination of Dr Soomro was performed at the Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad. Medico-legal officer Dr Salahuddin, said no marks of torture were found on the body, which was later handed over to the heirs.

SSP Shah said that Dr Soomro was a diabetic patient and an insulin-dependent patient.

He suggested the disease could be the cause of his death.Doctors community observed a one-hour strike at all district hospitals of Hyderabad division soon after the recovery of the doctor’s body was announced.

Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Sindh coordinator Dr Lala Jaffer strongly condemned the kidnapping leading to his death.

LARKANA: Although the cause of Dr Soomro’s death is yet to be established, the Sindh PMA and members of the medical fraternity believes

his death in the kidnappers’ captivity is a murder.

Doctors at the Chandka Medical College Hospital and all its allied institutions on Friday condemned ‘murder of Dr Soomro’, who hailed from Larkana, and boycotted OPDs, assignments and classes.

PMA Larkana chapter sharply reacted to the death of Dr Soomro in his kidnappers’ captivity and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits.

Dr Shahbaig Chandio and Dr Ikrm Tunio, the president and general secretary of Larkana PMA, respectively, also led a procession taken out from the CMCH to register their strong protest over the incident.

A protest camp was set up in the CMCH city block, where several PMA leaders spoke to the protesting doctors and paramedics.

They expressed their serious concern over what they termed ‘the cold-blooded murder’ of Dr Soomro.

They also condemned the police for their failure to trace the doctor and his kidnappers over the long period of his captivity.

They said the sense of insecurity among doctors across the province was constantly growing due to unabated activities of kidnappers, killers, extortionists and other criminals targeting members of the doctors community.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2014