MULTAN: PTI MPA Nadeem Qureshi says he will lodge an FIR against Nishtar Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Ashiq Malik for using his fake letter to get a court decision in his favour.

“One of my lawyer friends told me that my fake letter has been used despite the fact I never wrote such a letter. It is a clear-cut forgery... I made a telephone call to the secretary health and will raise this issue at the assembly forum and also move court,” he said. He said neither his contact number nor his address was mentioned in the letterhead used in court.

According to the letter (a copy is available with Dawn), the MPA stated that he sent the needy to the MS for treatment and medicines many times but the PTI people are not being obliged and the medicines are also not being provided. He demanded that the MS be transferred from the Nishtar Hospital immediately.

The letter written to the secretary health on April 18 is attached with the petition No 7967 through which Dr Malik alleged that his suspension order was based on mala fide intention and also a result of political victimisation as the local MPA has personal grudge.

He said his suspension order was illegal and the secretary health did not bother to mention any cogent reason. He stated that the secretary issued the order in a hasty manner and did not supply a copy of the charge sheet to the petitioner and there is no complaint against him.

Sources said that in order to favour Dr Malik, the secretary specialized healthcare and medical education department suspended him under section 6 of the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act 2006 even without issuing the charge sheet instead of suspending him according to the Punjab government’s policy.

They said Dr Malik on Monday held meetings with Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Health Minister Yasmin Rashid and Secretary Health Saqib Zafar who assured him that the matter would be decided in his favour.

The Lahore High Court’s Multan Bench on Monday while staying the suspension orders of Dr Malik for 10 days, directed the secretary health to decide the matter after providing hearing opportunity to all concerned strictly in accordance with law.

Dr Malik was suspended on May 12 after an anti-corruption court had cancelled his pre-arrest bail and he fled court on May 11. Later, he got bail from the LHC.

Dr Malik denies using any letter of the MPA.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2019