No carrots for the worker

The dual policy of how the Pakistani government deals with protesters remains in place. When religious extremists protest, law-enforcement officials back off and let them hold the state hostage. But when working class people or professionals protest to demand their rights, they are met with the strong arm of the state. The same story has continued in Quetta where the Young Doctors Association (YDA) Balochistan staged a sit-in at Liaquat Park Chowk to ask the state to release their salaries, which have allegedly been withheld for the last nine months, and the lack of facilities at the Bolan Medical College Hospital and other government-run hospitals. Police began to baton-charge and shoot at the protesters, leaving at least seven doctors injured and another ten arrested. While police have claimed that no one was hurt, there is clear evidence to the contrary. Moreover, the police’s claim that the protesters were attempting to enter Quetta’s Red Zone could not be corroborated. Even if the protesters were attempting to enter the area, then all that needed to be ensured was that none of them was carrying any arms and ammunition.

Doctors have been at the forefront of protests by professionals and working classes throughout the country since the 18th Amendment devolved health to the provinces. They have also been at the receiving end of much police brutality in all the four provinces. On Friday, the YDA Balochistan closed the out-patient departments (OPDs) in the province to protest against the use of force against their peaceful protest, and asked for action against the senior police officials who ordered the beatings. The legitimate demands of doctors left in limbo after the devolution of health to the provinces must be heard. Doctors’ protests around Pakistan are reflective of the failures of various governments in facilitating the provision of public health. Public healthcare has been under crisis all over the country, with private health providers becoming more and more integral to medical care as government facilities have been allowed to rot. If the doctors in Quetta were asking for salaries and better medical equipment in public hospitals in the province, these were certainly demands that were in the public interest. By choosing to greet them with a beating, the state has confirmed the constant negation of democratic values that our state has used. In the last few years, protesters ranging from women health workers to clerks and even the blind have been beaten up for attempting to raise their voice. The wrong signal is being sent. Protest is an essential part of a democratic society. Instead of improving the services it provides, the state has decided to renege on its responsibilities to our vulnerable citizens. The doctor’s protests must be heard.