KOHAT: Employees of the KDA Divisional Headquarters Hospital and members of the Young Doctors’ Association on Monday protested the murder of a woman doctor outside the hospital.

Dr Mehwish Hasnain was killed late on Sunday as she was going home after performing duty at the KDA hospital.

The police said they had registered an FIR against unidentified people for the murder.

The protesters blocked the KDA Road and demanded the immediate arrest of the killer. They also called for tight security for themselves.

The protesters insisted that Dr Mehwish was shot by an attendant whom she earlier asked to leave the space reserved for women patients.

DPO says three teams formed to arrest killer

Spokesman for the YDA’s provincial chapter Hafeez Orakzai said that the woman doctor left the hospital alone for home, considering the incident a minor one.

“When Dr Mehwish was shot multiple times by the same visitor outside the hospital, she died on the spot,” he said.

The spokesman said staff members had suspended all services at three major hospitals in the city, including KDA Hospital, Liaquat Women and Children’s Hospital and Dental Hospital, to protest the murder.

“Only emergency care will be provided to visitors until the killer is arrested,” he said.

However, the doctors resumed work at the emergency department at the request of district police officer Shahbaz Khan, to the relief of patients from Orakzai, Kurram, Hangu and Karak districts.

Mr Hafeez said that it was the second such incident in Kohat.

He insisted that hospital visitors often thrashed staff members in the emergency departments, wards and labs.

When contacted, the DPO revealed the formation of three teams to arrest the killer(s) and said that he supervised the operation.

The doctor’s funeral prayers were offered at Sava Lakh graveyard on Monday, with her colleagues and officials of civil and police administrations in attendance.

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Pakistan condemned the murder and insisted it was not an isolated incident.

“Repeated incidents of violence against women doctors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa point to systemic gaps in workplace safety, security enforcement and institutional accountability. Such acts endanger healthcare workers and undermine public confidence in essential medical services,” the society said in a statement.

It urged the government to ensure a transparent and time-bound investigation for early punishment of culprits, strict security measures at all public health centres and formulation of a policy on prevention of workplace violence in healthcare settings, with special focus on the protection of women health professionals.

“Violence justified under the guise of ego or so-called honour has no place in a lawful society.”

The society said authorities should ensure justice was delivered and meaningful staff protection was ensured.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2026