PESHAWAR: The Provincial Doctors Association (PDA) has set 72 hours deadline for the provincial government to arrest the killer of medical student Dr Asma and warned to agitate if the demand is not met.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, PDA (youth forum) president Dr Hamid Khan criticised the provincial government and police for failure to apprehend the prime suspect in the murder case.

He said that the medical student was killed in Kohat few days ago for rejecting marriage proposal of the suspect. He said that the murder caused unrest among the doctors because it was not first incident of its kind in the province.

The PDA president said that Dr Wajid Ali was killed in Peshawar by armed robbers when he resisted them while Dr Khurshid Alam was murdered in Shabqadar area of Charsadda few months ago.

PDA threatens to shut all hospitals in province

Dr Hamid said that the prime suspect in the student’s murder case fled to Saudi Arabia. He alleged that police facilitated him to leave the country owing to his relationship with an influential person in Kohat.

Flanked by PDA president at LRH Dr Sajjad Yousafzai, general secretary Dr Kashif, Abbottabad chapter president Dr Shahbaz and representative of paramedics association Zahoor Khan, he said that it was responsibility of the government to provide protection to people. He said that proper legislation was needed for safety of doctors as attacks on them were increasing.

Dr Hamid showed satisfaction over the ongoing investigation into the murder of Dr Aasma but criticised the police for their failure to arrest the main suspect.

He said that they would shut all hospitals in the province if the prime suspect in the case was not arrested within 72 hours.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sajjad Yousafzai questioned the tall claims of PTI chairman Imran Khan regarding performance of police. He demanded suspension of the police officials, who failed to arrest the prime suspect in Dr Aasma murder case.

Dr Kashif said on the occasion that government failed to take measures for protection of doctors and other health workers.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2018