Daily Times

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema on Friday called for an investigation into the Rs 50 million ransom money allegedly paid for the recovery of Civil Hospital neurosurgeon Dr Sheikh Ibrahim Khalil who was recently abducted.

Talk to reporters, the DIG said Dr Khalil’s statement regarding his abduction and release will be recorded separately. “Action will be taken against elements involved in the kidnapping,” he said.

The abducted neurosurgeon safely returned home on Jan 30 after 48 days of going missing. Family sources confirmed the return of the abducted doctor, saying the kidnappers dropped off him in a neighborhood in Chaman.

Reports relayed that an amount of Rs 50 million was paid for the recovery of Dr Khalil.

Last year on Dec 13, unidentified individuals had stopped Dr Khalil while he was on his way home from a private hospital on Zarghoon Road. The abductors forced him out of one car into another before fleeing away from the scene.

His abduction had sparked province-wide protests by medics who demanded his early recovery. Government hospital doctors had observed a strike since his abduction.

The Balochistan government constituted an investigation team, headed by a senior superintendent of police, with members from various intelligence agencies and the Counter-Terrorism Department to inquire into the kidnapping.

However, the doctors have expressed their dissatisfaction over the efforts of the Balochistan government and demanded a comprehensive security strategy for the safety of doctors across the province.

Published in Daily Times, February 2^nd 2019.