QUETTA, Jan 10: The Quetta chapter of the Pakistan Medical Association has threatened to launch a nationwide protest if the government fails to arrest by Jan 16 the culprits who humiliated a lady doctor of the Sui hospital.

A decision to this effect was taken at an emergency meeting of the association held here on Monday under the chairmanship of its president Dr Sultan Lehri.

It discussed what it called the government's lukewarm attitude on the Sui hospital incident. The doctors, wearing black armbands for the third consecutive day, expressed resentment over the government's inaction.

Vehemently condemning the incident, the meeting regretted that the government had not apprehended the accused even six days after the tragic incident. The government tactics, it said, appeared to be to prolong the issue and protect the culprits.

The meeting decided that the association would have no option except to give a call for a protest movement throughout the country if government agencies did not arrest the accused by Jan 16. The PMA also urged all political parties, student bodies and social organizations to raise their voice against the inhuman incident.

Meanwhile, National Party MPA Dr Shama Ishaque condemned the alleged sexual assault on the lady doctor and claimed that members of her family were being harassed and asked to keep quiet.

In a statement here on Monday, she also criticized the management of the PPL which, she claimed, had attempted to convert the incident. She demanded arrest of the culprits and steps to provide protection to female doctors and teachers working in hospitals and schools.

In Dera Bugti, doctors took out a protest procession on Monday which marched through various roads of the district headquarters. They were wearing black armbands. Addressing the rally, Dr Fazal Mohammad Bugti said the barbaric act was condemnable but the government had not done anything to punish the accused.