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KARACHI, March 11: The Pakistan Medical Association, Karachi, has announced that it will observe a strike on Wednesday in protest against the killing of doctors and attack on them in the city.
According to a press release, the decision was taken at an emergency meeting held at the PMA House on Monday following an attack on Dr Ali Jaffar Naqvi, secretary of the Pakistan Kidney Foundation, and his two colleagues Dr Bilal and Dr Shahnaz Ahad in Defence Housing Authority earlier in the day.
Dr Naqvi told Dawn that he, along with Dr Bilal and Dr Shahnaz, had been heading towards his residence. “As we had reached the 8th East Street in Phase I of DHA, three people, riding in a car, intercepted us and opened fire.”
The bullet had hit the car but the occupants of the car had remained unhurt, Dr Naqvi said, adding that they had moved into Azam Basti where people had helped them call the police.
He said the police had reached the scene and dropped him at his residence. The police had carried out all legal formalities and registered an FIR, Dr Naqvi said. He added that Asad Jehangir, the city police chief, had also visited his residence.
However, when Dawn contacted Asad Jehangir, he expressed ignorance about the incident and said: “I don’t know. I have to check it out.”
The DIG operation, Tariq Jamil, said the same thing when Dawn contacted him. He said the police were not informed about the incident.
The PMA condemned the attacks and criticized the Sindh government for its failure to arrest the culprits. It asked the government to act without delay.
It also requested the entire medical community to show unity on the strike day.
The PMA also held a condolence meeting for the late Dr Alay Safdar Zaidi and the late Dr Muzaffar Ali Sammoo.
CFMP: The College of Family Medicine Pakistan (the National Association of General Practitioners) condemned the killing of doctors and attempt on the lives of Ali Jafer Naqvi and others.
In a press statement, President Dr Shariatullah Siddiqui and Secretary-General Dr Aziz Khan Tank of the CFMP said doctors in Karachi felt insecure, demoralized and depressed. This situation would result in hardship to 80 per cent of the population as the government provided health care to only 20 per cent.
The CFMP appealed to the general practitioners to keep their clinics, dispensaries, medical centres, hospitals and labs closed on Wednesday. Emergency cases should be attended, however.
SMC: The members of the academic council of Sindh Medical College, at a meeting, also expressed their concern over the killing of doctors in the city. They asked the government to provide security to doctors. They demanded exemplary punishment to those involved in these crimes.
Three doctors were shot dead in March.
Dr Alay Safdar Zaidi, a nephrologist at Kidney Centre, was shot dead near Masjid Sultan traffic signal on March 4. Dr Muzaffar Ali Samoo was shot dead in Baghdadi, Lyari, on Mar 7. Dr Yousaf Husain Ghouri was shot dead at his Ghori Clinic in Sector 5-D, New Karachi, on March 9. His patient was also wounded in the incident.
