SAHIWAL, July 8: A Nazim of union council No 55 and his opponent were killed while six others received injuries late Sunday night in an armed clash between two rival groups in the medical ward of the local DHQ Hospital.

Duty doctors, warders and nurses had to run helter-skelter to save their lives.

Groups of Nazim Ghulam Murtaza Bhuller and former Chichawatni PML (N) youth wing president Iftikhar Kamboh had an election enmity. Irshad Kamboh, cousin of Iftikhar, had been elected union council Nazim, but the election commission disqualified him after finding his matric certificate bogus. Later, Ghulam Murtaza Bhullar had been declared as Nazim in his place.

Haji Abdul Haq Arain, supporter of Bhullar and Fayyaz and Shahbaz, sons of Irshad Kamboh, had a clash in which they sustained injuries and were admitted to the DHQ Hospital. On Monday, Nazim Bhullar and Iftikhar Kamboh had come along with their men to see their respective injured supporters.

Iftikhar Kamboh could not keep his temper and fired at the Nazim who took refuge under the bed of a patient, but Kamboh did not leave him without killing.

The Nazim’s men present there also retaliated and shot dead Iftikhar Kamboh. Later, the firing between the rival groups left six people injured who somehow escaped from the scene.

Doctors and nurses strongly protested over the killings in the hospital ward and refused to work till the protection was assured.

Farid Town police are going into the matter.