KARACHI: A local court on Saturday allowed one week’s time to the investigating officer for filing a final charge sheet in a case pertaining to the death of minor girl Nashwa.

Thirteen suspects, including Amir Waliuddin Chishti, the chairman of the Darul Sehat Hospital, and vice-chairman Syed Ali Farhan have been booked among 13 administration and medical staffers over the death of the minor girl, who was allegedly given improper treatment at the hospital in Gulistan-i-Jauhar on April 7 that paralysed her and led to her death.

On Saturday, when the matter came up before the judicial magistrate (East), investigating officer Sub-Inspector Mohammad Saleem Khan informed that the investigation was yet to be completed since the medical report regarding the actual cause of the death of the minor was still awaited from Dow University.

He requested the judge to grant one week’s time for filing the final charge sheet in the case.

He further informed that non-bailable warrants for arrest of absconding suspects could not be executed since they could not be traced and requested for more time.

Allowing the request, the judge granted one week’s time to the IO for filing a final charge sheet.

Reissuing non-bailable warrants for the arrest of the alleged absconding suspects — including the hospital’s executive director Dr Shehzad Alam, nursing head Dr Rizwan Azmi, night duty doctor/RMO Dr Attiya Ahmed and another administration officer Syed Shabbar Zaidi — the court told the IO to arrest and produce them before the court on the next date.

On May 8, Mr Chishti and Mr Farhan obtained an interim protective bail from the Sindh High Court a day after escaping from an additional district and sessions’ court as the judge recalled their interim pre-arrest bail. However, director HR Irfan Alam’s interim bail was confirmed while detained security in-charge Walid was granted post-arrest bail.

Other names in the charge sheet include the hospital’s chief medical officer Dr Sharjeel Hussain, Dr Attiya Ahmed, security in-charge Walid along with four detained staffers including nursing in-charge Atif Javed, nursing assistant Agha Moiz, nurse Sobia Irshad and deputy administration officer Ahmer Shahzad.

Earlier, the IO had filed an interim charge sheet.

The IO mentioned that the private health facility was inspected and material evidence, including the CCTV footage, was collected.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2019