LAHORE: The Mayo Hospital administration on Monday filed an application with the Gawalmandi police for registration of a “kidnapping” case after the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) officials took the hospital medical superintendent (MS) “into custody” for around six hours and released him late in the night.

As per the hospital administration, the application for case registration was filed against “unidentified kidnappers” as the ACE officials were bound to get permission from the Punjab chief minister or chief secretary prior to arresting or conducting investigation against a BS-19 or above public servant – a procedure that was allegedly ignored.

As per official sources, the row between the two government institutions erupted after a Lahore ACE team reportedly reached Mayo Hospital on Monday and took MS Dr Abdul Mudabbir Rehan “into custody”.

The ACE officials later drove the MS away in a vehicle, causing concern and resentment among the medical fraternity.

A senior official says the ACE initiated action against the MS following a complaint and surfacing of a video clip showing a hospital employee receiving “bribe” from a private contractor in the office of an additional medical superintendent (AMS). He says that the clip also showed Mayo Hospital MS Dr Mudabbir occupying the AMS seat at that time.

The employee, who allegedly received the bribe money, is said to be the MS’ official driver, he adds.

King Edward Medical University (KEMU) Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Ayaz Mahmood told Dawn the ACE officials reserved the right under the law to investigate public servants over any complaint. However, he said, the ACE didn’t follow the laid down procedure for interrogating the MS, a BS-19 government officer, as they did not intimated the high-ups, including health secretary, KEMU VC or chief executive officer (CEO) of the institute, before initiating action against Dr Mudabbir.

“I contacted the ACE Lahore director and expressed my concern over not following the procedure for investigating the on-duty medical superintendent, a BS-19 officer,” the VC said.

He added that the ACE Lahore director clarified that the MS was not arrested, rather he was brought to the ACE office in connection with a bribery complaint against him.

Talking to Dawn, Punjab ACE Director General (DG) Sohail Zafar Chattha denied ‘arrest’ of the Mayo Hospital Lahore MS, saying the ACE just launched an inquiry into a corruption complaint filed against the MS.

He said the ACE Lahore office had also been provided a video clip as an evidence, which showed the driver of the MS receiving an amount as a bribe from a company’s contractor in the presence of Dr Mudabbir.

To a question, Chattha claimed the rules authorised the Punjab ACE director general to grant approval for ‘taking into custody’ a BS-19 public servant.

In a late night development, according to official sources, the ACE released the medical superintendent.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2026