QUETTA, July 28: All government and private hospitals in Balochistan remained closed as doctors protesting against the kidnapping of a surgeon of Bolan Medical College continued their strike for the second day on Saturday.

BMC Associate Professor Din Mohammad Bangulzai was kidnapped last Sunday when he was coming to Quetta from his ancestral Mastung town.

The call for an indefinite strike was given by the Pakistan Medical Association’s Balochistan chapter and Young Doctors’ Association after giving the government a deadline of 24 hours to recover the professor.

All the outpatient departments remained closed and scheduled operations were cancelled.

The doctors also stopped providing emergency services in government and private hospitals on Saturday morning, saying the government was not serious in resolving the issue and the strike would continue till the recovery of their colleague.

Hospitals in the provincial capital, including Helper’s Hospital, BMC Teaching Hospital, Fatima Jinnah TB Sanatorium and Sandeman Hospital, wore a deserted look.

The strike was also observed in private hospitals to express solidarity with the family of Dr Bangulzai.

However, doctors remained present in government hospitals to deal with necessary emergency cases.

The strike caused difficulties and problems for patients, particularly the needy ones who came from remote areas to Quetta and had to return unattended.

Meanwhile, supporters of an ‘all parties’ steering committee’ of Kachhi district held a demonstration outside Quetta Press Club in protest against the kidnapping of Dr Bangulzai and deteriorating law and order in the province. They shouted slogans, calling for immediate recovery of the doctor.

Addressing the protesters, leaders of the National Party, Balochistan National Party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) and Pakistan People’s Party regretted that kidnappings for ransom, dumping of decomposed bodies, robberies and other crimes had become the order of the day and the provincial government appeared ineffective as far as the law and order situation was concerned.

They said Dr Bangulzai was serving the people of the province and his abduction was a matter of great concern.

The speakers demanded that the provincial government make efforts for early and safe recovery of the senior surgeon and launch a crackdown against gangs involved in kidnapping for ransom and other crimes.