ISLAMABAD, Oct 1: The executive director (ED) of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Monday initially refused to admit an injured journalist, referred there by the Poly Clinic Hospital. However, on the directives of the Supreme Court, the Pims administration took the patient from the court premises and admitted him to the hospital.

According to details, the Poly Clinic administration had referred Mazhar Sheikh, a reporter of Daily Asas, who was seriously injured during indiscriminate use of force by police against peaceful protesters, agitating against acceptance of Gen Musharraf’s nomination papers, outside the offices of the election commission on Saturday.

While refusing to admit the injured journalist, the executive director, Fazl Hadi and the duty doctor, had allegedly sarcastically told him to “consult (the) Supreme Court for your treatment.”

The reporter, Mr Sheikh, approached the Supreme Court and appeared before the chief justice to narrate his ordeal.

Later, the Pims executive director appeared in court but refused to admit he had said anything of that sort. Anyhow, the chief justice directed him to ensure that the injured journalist was admitted to the hospital and also ordered the executive director to dispatch a report on the progress of the patient to court on a daily basis.—Online