PESHAWAR: Activists belonging to various political parties and civil society organisations and paramedics of Khyber Agency on Wednesday observed a daylong hunger strike against the federal government’s decision to privatise six major hospitals in tribal regions and asked for withdrawal of the decision.

The protesters set up a protest camp outside the Peshawar Press Club and shouted slogans against the federal government, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor and Fata Secretariat. They had also displayed banners and placards inscribed with their demands.

Talking to media persons, Khyber Agency ANP leader Shah Hussain Shinwari said that the decision to privatise six major hospitals across tribal areas would affect the people. He said that the decision would face strong resistance from the people of Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

He said that if privatisation of hospitals was a good step then such a decision should be implemented in Punjab first.

Jamaat-i-Islami leader Zar Noor Afridi said that after privatisation of headquarters hospitals in Fata the tribal people would be unable to pay fees and get treatment in these hospitals. He said that the government should equip the hospitals to overcome the crisis instead of privatising them. He said that the people would not accept such anti-masses decisions of the federal government.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2017