As the PMA protested in front of the Press Club in Karachi yesterday afternoon over the murder of an Ahmadiyya doctor – a paediatric surgeon at Dow – they got news of the murder of a Shi’a doctor in the city. This is beyond belief. At a time when the country is facing its worst natural disaster ever – these fanatics continue their killing spree, targeting doctors, of all people. See news report. Following is a press release sent out after the doctors’ meeting on Aug 20, 2010:
Press Release
KARACHI: A joint meeting of nine doctors’ associations, chaired by Dr. M. Idress Adhi, President PMA, Karachi, was held at PMA House on Aug 20. The meeting discussed at length the issue of current killing of doctors, in which up nine doctors have been killed since May 10, 2010. The doctors’ organisations made the following decisions.
1. Doctors reserve the right to strike but hesitate because of the grave situation country is facing in the form of floods. However if the present spree of killing continues, doctors will opt for strike.
2. PMA has written letters to the government hierarchy from President of Pakistan to each and every concerned official, highlighting the cases of target killing and money extortion from doctors. It is demanded that immediate action should be taken in this regard.
3. The doctors decided to continue protesting until these incidents stop.
A follow-up meeting will be held next week.
The following associations attended and endorsed this united stand:
1- Pakistan Medical Association
2- Pakistan Islamic Medical Association
3- Dow University of Health Sciences
4- Pakistan Orthopedic Association
5- Society Obstetrics & Gynaecology Pakistan
6- Pakistan Pediatric Association, Sindh
7- Association of Private Hospital
8- JPMC Doctors Association
9- College of Family Medicine
Filed under: Human rights | Tagged: ahmedi doctor killed, ahmedi killed, doctors killings karachi, karachi, Pakistan, sectarian murders, target killing |
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What use this protest! It is general barbarism targeting civilization, the doctors being more vulnerable are the most attractive targets. What we need is humanizing the society which has been dehumanized by the flood of obscurantism and absurdism.
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Bokhari ji, what use is any protest? I say it is better than nothing. It may not achieve anything tangible right away, but public protest is empowering. It gives people a voice, a platform for collective action, and visibility to their concern. It’s better than doing nothing.
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Beenaji, you are right, but what can a society which is celebrating even the fasting, as ramazan kareem, achieve or need to? I asked someone, a shopkeeper, what are the much trumpted barakaat of ramazan. He said,”Mehngaai! The sudden rise in prices due to ramzan kareem.” Certainly it is a ‘barkat’ for the seller to whom it suits very much.
You know dear, my Bahu is a doctor, a specialist in Gynae, who has her clinic, a sort of a mini hospital with the name of ‘Maliha Maternity Home’, complete with an operation theater, opened in six rooms of our upper floor.
I always warn her about her vulnerability, but like all doctors she cannot refuse patiens, sometimes accompanied by a lot of their attendants.
It appears doctors and the dacoits have some affinity. When the dacoits had rampaged our house previously they had expressed disappointment in not finding enough as they had expected from a doctor’s home. They came again but mistakenly entered the neighbors’ house where, it is learnt, they had been enquiring from them as to who among their women was the doctor.
Now, excuse me, I make a little digression, to talk about a hot topic of media today.
A media report said: Two brothers lynched by villagers as dacoits in the presence of the police in full force in a Sialkot village.
I, as once a victim of the dacoits, to be frank, felt glad to hear this news which I took as a reaction of the people against such a heinous crime as robbery in view of the failure of the law enforcing agencies to do the same.
But later on, the media went muck, and holding the lynched robbers as innocent started a virtual media trial of those who had lynched, which they called the innocent young boys, calling the lynchers as ‘darinda siffat’ (caliban). This let a hell loose against the police and the district administration: The CJ, who is ever ready to get public attention also came out with his danda of suo motu, oblivious of the fact that lacs of cases are already lying pending with judiciary, including that of a somewhat similar case of Mukhtaran Mai.
Isn’t it, you think, Beenaji, a total breakdown of the very infrastructure of law and order? And what does poor doctors’ protest mean with this background?
It is 4.45 AM now and I am feeling sleepy. So good night dear Beena. I am sorry for this rambling, but excuse me, it is yourself who provoked all this. How I wished I could have talked to you about all this!
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