ISLAMABAD, Dec 2: The parties battling over the thrashing of two city doctors for the past one month have agreed to settle their dispute outside the court on the advice of the Supreme Court.

Islamabad’s Chief Commissioner Kamran Lashari and Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations) Said Gul informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the two parties were close to signing an agreement ending their debilitating court battle.

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court taking suo motu notice of the dispute had summoned the senior National Assembly officer, his family members and the two doctors of the Federal Government Services Hospital (FGSH) last month and advised them to settle the dispute among themselves rather than dragging their womenfolk to a humiliating trial.

After learning that the two sides had taken the advice, the bench comprising Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, Justice Chaudhry Ejaz Yousaf and Justice Muhammad Farrukh Mahmud, adjourned hearing of the case to December 16.

The DIG Islamabad also said that the city police had submitted its report before the apex court after completing investigations in which both parties were quizzed.

The family members of the deputy secretary of the National Assembly, nominated in the FIR, according to the report, are on interim bail till December 6.

Former president of the Doctors Action Committee Dr Raja Ilyas, appreciating the court’s keenness to resolve the issue, confirmed that Deputy Secretary of the National Assembly Tariq Khakwani had apologised and that the agreement for settlement of the dispute was about to be finalised.

This is the beauty of the civil society that it always compromises on issues in good faith for the betterment of the society, he observed.