QUETTA: Renowned eye specialist Dr Saeed Ahmed Khan, who was kidnapped from Quetta’s Sariab Road on Oct 16, was freed on Wednesday after a ransom was paid to his abductors, DawnNews reported.

However, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Balochistan has vowed to continue the doctors’ strike across government-run hospitals in the province.

PMA Balochistan’s president Dr Sultan Tareen said the government had played no role in securing Dr Khan’s release.

Speaking to media representatives, Dr Khan thanked the medical community in the province for offering its support. He said abductions of doctors not only affected their families but their patients also, adding that, the situation was alarming. He added that he was freed only after a ransom was paid to the kidnappers.

Doctors in Balochistan had staged protests across the province against Dr Khan’s kidnapping, following his abduction in October. Private and state-owned hospitals had remained closed throughout Balochistan during the doctors’ strike, adversely affecting the patients.