Doctors demand immediate recovery of abducted colleague

Strongly condemning the “forced disappearance” of a doctor in Karachi, the Young Doctors Association (YDA) Sindh on Saturday urged Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Qazi Faez Isa to get a healthcare professional recovered who was taken away by men in plain clothes from his residence in Karachi on November 11, 2023.

“Dr Muhammad Ismail, a postgraduate trainee at the Orthopaedics Department at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) Karachi, was abducted by unknown people earlier this month in Karachi. It appears to be a case of forced disappearance. If he is involved in any illegal activity, a case should be registered and he should be presented in court,” Dr Mehboob Ali, YDA Sindh president, told a news conference at the Karachi Press Club (KPC).

Accompanied by Dr Bahar Shah from the YDA Balochistan, Dr Lal Malik, Dr Rana Dildar, Dr. Mehran Shar, relatives of the abducted doctor and others, Dr Mehboob Ali said the forced appearance of their colleague was a serious cause of concern for the healthcare fraternity in Pakistan as they were frontline workers in the war against diseases and sacrificed their lives for the suffering humanity.

He said family and relatives of the abducted doctor approached police and other law enforcing agencies, but they did not provide any information regarding him. He added that the whereabouts of the doctor had not been known for the last several days.

“If somebody is involved in any illegal activity, he or she should be formally arrested instead of making him disappeared like they do in Banana republics and dictatorships,” he added.

Balochistan YDA President Dr Bahar Shah said it was not the first time that a doctor had been abducted or taken into informal custody. He demanded of the Sindh inspector general of police to take notice of the illegal activities against physicians and healthcare workers.

He said doctors were moving to Sindh to remain safe from atrocities, but they were being targeted even in Karachi. He warned that pushing people to the wall would have serious consequences.

Relatives of the abducted doctor also spoke on the occasion and demanded his release unconditionally.

Later, the protesting doctors and relatives of the victim held a demonstration at the Karachi Press Club and demanded his immediate and unconditional release.

Carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans and demands for the release of their colleague, they chanted slogans against lawlessness and called for action against the perpetrators of the crime.