GUJRAT: Doctors called off strike at the Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital (ABSTH) outdoor patients department on Tuesday after registration of a case against University of Gujrat chief security officer Raja Umar and five guards on the complaint of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA).

In a related development, the district government has asked the authorities concerned to hold an inquiry into the incident of alleged misbehavior of UoG Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Ziaul Qayyum with a female lecturer of Nawaz Sharif Medical College (NSMC), Dr Saima Salman.

The case against the UoG chief security officer and others was registered with Jalalpur Jattan police station under sections 505, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the report of Dr Maqsood Zahid, Gujrat PMA president.

Dr Zahid alleged in the complaint that Raja Umar and guards pointed guns at the doctors and hurled life threats, besides stopping them from entering the UoG Hafiz Hayat Campus.

The counter complaint filed by Raja Umar for registration of case against some senior medics and officials of the PMA and YDA for security breach, assaulting the guards and hurling threats, was not accommodated.

The matter of case registration against UoG VC Dr Qayyum on the complaint of Dr Saima Salman awaits provincial government’s decision.

DCO Liaqat Ali Chattha has dispatched a reference to the Gujranwala commissioner, asking him to request the competent authority to look into the matter through an inquiry.

According to sources, the decision to book the varsity’s security officials and to send a reference regarding the VC’s stand off with a female lecturer, were made following negotiations between the agitating doctors and senior officials of district administration and police late on Monday night.

They said the the doctors were demanding separate cases against the VC and the security staff, but they had to agree to registration of a case against the security staff and a probe into the VC’s conduct. In return the doctors called off the strike at the ABSTH’s OPD and also started entertaining medico-legal cases.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2016