PESHAWAR, Sept 29: Doctors associations have expressed concern over what they called the “biased attitude” of the police officer conducting a probe into the murder of Dr Farooq Hilal, a lecturer of the Ayub Medical College, and demanded a judicial investigation.

“We will start a province-wide movement if the inquiry wasn’t conducted by an impartial judicial commission, the responsibility of which would rest with the government,” said Dr Khalid Latif, president of the Khyber Medical College Teachers Association, while addressing a press conference on Monday.

Flanked by the doctors representing Ayub Medical College Teaching Staff Association, Pakistan Islamic Medical Association, Malgari Doctoran, Pakistan Medical Association, People’s Doctors Forum, Pakistan Doctors Association and Muslim Doctors League, he said the DSP conducting inquiry into the murder case had already been suspended by the IGP, owing to his inability to arrest the alleged killer.

On June 17, an Abbottabad-based lawyer, allegedly killed a lecturer of the Ayub Medical College, Dr Farooq Hilal, on the premises of Ayub Medical Complex.

Now, the alleged killer is being tried in an anti-terrorism court, whereas the DSP who had been directed by the court to probe the matter, “was registering FIRs against the doctors,” Dr Latif said.

According to him, the DSP who stood suspended, had lodged FIRs against 27 doctors, including senior doctors, medical officers and house jobbers for having burnt the house of the killer, which had created resentment among doctors and they were not being able to perform their duties effectively.

Actually, his (killer’s) house had been set on fire by the angry mob on the day the murder took place, and the doctors had nothing to do with it.

The alleged killer, he said, wielded immense influence in the area and the enquiry officer, was hand in gloves with him. The FIRs, he said, had been lodged against the doctors by the watchman of the alleged killer.

“Now, the inquiry report is being finalized but we are sure it would be against the doctors. Therefore, we do not accept the same,” said Dr Nisar Khan, general secretary of the Ayub Medical College Teaching Staff Association.

He said the government was creating an awkward situation for the doctors community.

He said the doctors would go to any length to defend themselves.

Dr Khan demanded that all the FIRs be withdrawn immediately.

He said doctors facing mental torture could not concentrate on patients care.