LAHORE, Feb 10: Police severely thrashed young doctors to thwart their ‘design’ to protest at the inaugural ceremony of the Metro Bus Service system here on Sunday.

PPP Deputy Parliamentary Leader in Punjab Assembly Shaukat Basra, civil society and Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf women, young lady doctors and the cameraman of a private channel were also thrashed by police who ransacked the medics’ hunger strike camp outside the Services Hospital.

Young doctors’ friends in major city hospitals closed down emergency wards in reaction, sending a wave of concern among government circles. Senior doctors were immediately summoned to run the emergencies to avoid any crisis.

Police however said they took the action when doctors attacked policemen outside the Services Hospital with bricks.

As many as 22 young doctors were bundled into police trucks and were detained. They, however, returned to the hunger strike camp in the late afternoon, bruised and agitated.

Shaukat Basra got medical assistance in the Services Hospital and was inspected by a medico-legal surgeon, showing his intentions to lodge an FIR against police, and file a privilege motion in the Punjab Assembly to agitate what he said the worst dictatorial action taken under direction from a so-called democratic government.

Chief Minister’s Special Assistant on Health Khawaja Salman Rafiq alleged in a statement and at a news conference that political parties used the doctors for their own ulterior motives.

He said the administration had negotiated with the young doctors last night but they did not budge and the action had to be taken to prevent them from disrupting the inauguration of the bus service being attended by a number of foreign dignitaries.

The young doctors observing a hunger strike unto death for the last seven days had announced staging a demonstration on the occasion of the inauguration of the bus service.

But since they were apparently preparing to leave their camp in front of the Service Hospital, strong contingents of police in anti-riot gear, and plainclothesmen `pounced’ upon them.

Policemen began thrashing the doctors, including their women colleagues, with batons, kicks and punches. They did not even spare passersby and relatives of patients admitted to the hospital and thrashed everyone they could lay a hand on.

A group of young doctors who managed to disengage found bricks and stones, and pelted them on the chasing police. Police returned the bricks and more severely beat those caught afterwards.

A number of doctors were dragged amidst thrashing to a waiting truck and were taken to a police station in the Cantonment.

Witnesses said slightly earlier police also meted out the same treatment to a group of doctors and civil society and PTI activists, including women, near Mozang Chungi. The crackdown was unprovoked and harsh, they said.

Mr Basra, who said he had gone to the Services Hospital to inquire after the health of his ailing father, had intervened and reprimanded police for beating young doctors and especially women.

He reportedly exchanged hot words with an SP who withdrew, allowing his force to rain the politician with kicks, punches and batons. The thrashing did not stop even when he fell on the ground. He was rescued by young doctors and taken to the hospital on a stretcher.

Mr Basra termed the action terrorism by police on the direction of a so-called democratic police. “I do not regret what has happened to me. I do deeply regret the beating of women activists and doctors. The torture reminded me of the oppressive dictatorial regimes in the past,” he told reporters.

The PPP MPA, who climbed the police prison bus after the thrashing, said the police proved that they were the employees of the PML-N and not public servants.

The thrashed doctors, who managed to escape, refused to get any treatment. Among them were those observing the hunger strike for the past seven days.

The arrested doctors who were released in the late afternoon rejoined the hunger strike camp. They showed their bruises to media persons but did not also get any treatment, vowing to continue the hunger strike till the acceptance of their demands, or unto death.

The Paramedics Alliance also joined the hunger strike, showing its solidarity with the doctors and regretting the police action against them.

Meanwhile, speaking at a news conference at their hunger strike camp on Sunday night, representatives of the Young Doctors Association announced that their colleagues had started working in emergency wards of hospitals after the release of those arrested earlier as a result of the police crackdown.

PML-N: Senior Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Senator Pervaiz Rashid has said the Young Doctors Association first became the enemy of the patients and now it wants to stop investment in Pakistan in collusion with the PPP.

In a statement, Senator Pervaiz Rashid said those who wanted to create hindrance in a ceremony attended by honourable guests from Turkey were not friends of Pakistan. He said the true face of young doctors and PPP had been revealed and people had come to realise that these people did not spare public welfare projects for their nefarious aims.