LAHORE, July 26: The Pakistan Medical Association has criticized the Punjab health secretary for holding PMA responsible for his misdoings and declaring it as a ‘mafia’ in front of the Public Accounts Committee.

In a joint statement here on Friday, PMA’s Punjab and Lahore general secretaries Dr Ashraf Nizami and Dr Azeemuddin Zahid said Health Secretary Hasan Waseem Afzal was also sentenced for three-month imprisonment by the Lahore High Court for using illegal tactics to protect his brother, Dr Nadeem Afzal, facing termination from job. The conviction was also upheld by the Supreme Court.

Now, the health secretary had managed to shift his brother from jail to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology. Dr Afzal was sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment.

PMA leaders demanded that the government should investigate the matter of Dr Afzal’s stay at the PIC to complete the imprisonment period. They said the PMA would also approach the court against the health secretary for using derogatory language against the PMA.