Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has slammed the government for “humiliating” female medical students and “forcing” them to act as ushers for a VVIP visit to a coal power project in Qadarabad.

Nabila Hakim of the PTI Friday filed a resolution against the incident at the Punjab Assembly Secretariat and demanded a probe into the “malevolent” act of the government. She said in the resolution that those responsible for “humiliating students should be held accountable.

In the resolution, she said that Sahiwal Assistant Commissioner (AC) Ayub Bukhari deployed medical students from the Sahiwal Medical College Girls hostel just to please high-level personalities.

Few days ago, Sahiwal assistant commissioner barged into the girl’s hostel of the DHQ teaching hospital Sahiwal to “try and force doctors” to act as ushers for a VVIP visit to a coal field power project. According to the reports and complaints of students, Deputy Medical Superintendent (DMS) Dr Akhtar Raza and Assistant Commissioner Ayub Bukhari visited the girls’ hostel on July 1 without any prior notice or permission just to choose some “beautiful” ladies to escort a VVIP visit. Girl students of medical college had protested over the “illegal” visit and also demanded a judicial inquiry against the said officers for forcefully entering into their rooms. The DHQ Teaching Hospital girls’ hostel female house officer Dr Ghazanfar Bukhari had also moved an application in this regard. In a complaint letter signed by female house officers and Dr Ghazanfar Bukhari addressed to the principal of the Sahiwal Medical College, the complainants had claimed that AC Ayub Bukhari along with DMS Dr Akhtar Raza entered the girls’ hostel on July 1.

The letter said that the two officers after entering the premises ordered doctors to perform their duties as ushers for the VVIP’s visit. The letter added that DMS Dr Raza and AC Bukhari did not approach head of any department prior to their entry.

A notification from the Assistant Commissioner’s Office after the alleged hostel invasion was issued in which 12 female doctors were called up to perform duties as ushers for the earlier mentioned VVIP visit to the power project in Qadarabad.

It was also alleged by complainants that not only did the assistant commissioner come off in an angry and intimidating manner, but he also encroached upon to the personal property of the residents as he wished.

Published in Daily Times, July 8^th , 2017.