Tag: PIC

  • ‘Every gift belongs to the office, not to be taken home’: High Court

    ‘Every gift belongs to the office, not to be taken home’: High Court

    The Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb has ordered to take Toshakhana gifts [state gifts] back from the officials who took them home and asked Deputy Attorney General Arshad Kayani to put the gifts on display.

    “People come and go but the Office of the Prime Minister remains at the same place. Every gift given [to the head of the state/government officials] belongs to their office, not to be taken home,” Justice Miangul Hassan remarked.

    The directives were issued during hearing of two petitions on the Toshakhana gifts matter, one by a citizen who demanded that the details should be put forward and the other by the Cabinet Division challenging that.

    The Justice directed to make a policy to ensure that the gifts received by the head of the state will only be deposited in the treasury. He also objected that the policy to pay a certain percentage of the gift’s value and take it home shouldn’t have been there.

    “There is no stay on the Pakistan Information Commission’s (PIC) order. The Cabinet Division is bound to provide information,” he observed. The case was adjourned for two weeks.

    However, the cabinet division challenged the PIC order in the high court, claiming that it is “illegal, without lawful authority”. The former government was of the view that the revelations of details of these gifts can affect Pakistan’s relations with the countries which have given the gifts.

    Earlier this week, an investigation by news organisation Fact Focus revealed that former PM Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi kept all 112 presents worth Rs142.02 million from the Toshakhana of Pakistan.

  • VIDEO: Lawyer slaps citizen trying to cross street during protest

    VIDEO: Lawyer slaps citizen trying to cross street during protest

    Days after the lawyers’ had attacked the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), a new video has surfaced on the social media in which a lawyer can be seen slapping a motorcyclist.

    In the viral video a lawyer can be seen stopping a motorcyclist passing between the lawyers protesting outside PIC and snatching his motorcycle keys.

    After exchanging few words, the lawyer slapped the man prompting others present there to intervene.

    Watch Video:

    After Wednesday’s attack on PIC, several videos showing the violent acts committed by the lawyers have been coming out on social media platforms.

    A group of over 200 lawyers, following an earlier quarrel with the doctors, stormed the hospital, vandalised property and damaged dozens of vehicles parked in the hospital premises and burned a police van.

    Three people had lost their lives amidst the chaos as doctors abandoned their patients to escape the angry mob.

    The police have registered a first information report (FIR) against 200-250 unidentified lawyers on the complaint of an official of the hospital.

  • PIC attack ‘agitator’ Dr Irfan was accused of murder in 2018: report

    The main character behind the clash of lawyers and doctors at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), Dr Irfan, was earlier nominated as the main accused in the murder case of a Christian who was tortured to death by doctors at the Services hospital Lahore last year, Pakistan Today reported.

    According to the details, Dr Irfan was nominated among the four doctors in FIR [First Information Report] “No. 163/18” registered with the Shadman Police for torturing Sunil Saleem, to death.

    According to the FIR, Anil Masih — Sunil’s brother — has stated that he, his brother Sunil and other relatives had taken their pregnant sister Kiran Kashif to the emergency labor ward of the Services hospital on March 26, 2018, because she was suffering labor pains.

    Anil said, “Kiran went to the doctor on duty, Dr Saira, who was playing with her cell phone while sipping on tea. Dr Saira told Kiran to wait outside until she finished her tea. We waited for some time, but since Kiran was experiencing severe pain, she again went inside the ward to request for immediate attention.”

    Anil Saleem added that as soon as Kiran approached Dr Saira, she started cursing her for not waiting and told a nurse to attend her.

    “When my sister protested against the rude behavior, the doctor started slapping her, throwing her on the floor,” he said, adding that she asked my sister how dare a Chuhri [a derogatory term for Christians] question her order?.

    Anil said, “On hearing the ruckus we entered the ward, but as soon as she saw us, Dr Saira shouted to the other doctors and security guards to lock the doors from the inside and teach these Christians a lesson”.

    “Around 15 to 20 paramedical staff and security guards and eight to 10 young doctors, including Dr Irfan, Dr Salman, Dr Hasan and Dr Sahi lunged at us with iron rods, chairs, leather belts and other things and started beating us,” Anil added.

    He said “Sunil, a police constable in the National Highway and Motorway Police, tried his best to placate the assailants but they continued to beat him mercilessly, kicking and punching him in the groin and chest until he fell unconscious.”

    “Sunil died after a delay in treatment and due to lack of timely emergency medical assistance”, Anil said.

    “We had pardoned the accused doctors after pursuing the case for a year”, reports quoted Anil as saying.

    It is important to mention here that Dr Irfan’s speech, which went viral on social media a few days before the attack was the core reason behind the clash between doctors and lawyers at the PIC.

    Dr Irfan in the video was seen narrating an encounter with some lawyers in front of a group of medical and paramedical staff of PIC, where he said that a group of lawyers had gone to the inspector general (IG) of police and told him to charge “two doctors” under Section 7 of ATA.

    The doctor narrated that the IG had refused while the lawyers had urged him to press charges, saying “they could save face” that way.

  • Lawyers’ attack: PIC suffers losses worth Rs70 million

    The Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) has suffered a loss of Rs70 million, due to an attack by an angry mob of lawyers on Wednesday, Geo News reported.

    According to the details, the chief executive of PIC Dr Saqib Shafiq has claimed that the loss of Rs70 million includes damage to the main building, medical equipment and the doctors’ vehicles parked outside.

    Dr Saqib further said that two people had also died in the emergency ward of the PIC, while three patients were rushed to other hospitals where they were later pronounced dead.

    The doctor said that two days have passed since the incident has happened, but consulting doctors are still afraid to resume work at the hospital.

    “On the day of the attack, former inspector general police Nasir Durrani’s mother had come to the hospital for a blood test,” Dr Saqib said, adding that even her car was not spared by the lawyers.

    A group of more than 200 lawyers, who had ongoing issues with the doctors of the PIC had on Wednesday stormed the hospital, vandalised property, damaged dozens of vehicles of visitors and set ablaze a police van.

    They also attacked the information minister Fayyazul Hasan Chohan who had come to the hospital to neutrliase the situation.

    Police have registered two FIRs [First Information Report] against 200-250 unidentified lawyers on the complaint of an official of the hospital, while another was registered on the complaint of police in which 15 lawyers were nominated.

  • Police trying to save PM’s nephew? Hassaan Niazi’s name excluded from FIRs

    Police trying to save PM’s nephew? Hassaan Niazi’s name excluded from FIRs

    The police, in an attempt to favour Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s nephew Barrister Hassaan Niazi, have allegedly excluded his name from the cases registered against the lawyers who attacked the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) in Lahore on Wednesday, Dawn reported.

    According to reports, an official has claimed that a mobile phone footage showing Niazi pelting cops with stones Jail Road had surfaced, however, the police had neither nominated him in the FIRs [First Information Reports] nor detained him.

    The authorities have registered two FIRs against 250 lawyers after they stormed the state-run cardiac hospital, damaged public property and beat up government officials, including Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hasan Chohan, on Wednesday.

    Police have booked the protesters under terrorism, murder and street crime charges in the FIRs lodged on the complaint of the hospital’s chief executive and SHO concerned.

    Moreover, police authorities, after going through several CCTV/mobile phone footage and obtaining credible information from different sources, have nominated 21 lawyers in the FIRs.

    A senior police officer, however, has denied the allegation of favouring PM’s nephew, saying all the lawyers, who participated in the violent protest, would be treated equally.

    He said that Hassaan was among the 250 lawyers who had gone underground to avoid arrest and the police were carrying out raids for their arrest. “46 lawyers have been arrested so far,” the official added.

  • ‘Ashamed of myself,’ says PM Imran’s nephew who was present at lawyers’ violent protest

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s nephew, Barrister Hassaan Niazi, has condemned his peers’ attack on Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) in Lahore, while people are calling him out for being present at the violent protest himself.

    At least four patients lost their lives after hunderds of lawyers ransacked the hospital on Lahore’s Jail Road on Wednesday afternoon. The mob was protesting against a viral video wherein doctors were seen making fun of some lawyers they had recently interacted with.

    With condemnations pouring in, Niazi was called out for being present at the protest as people questioned if justice would be served regardless of the fact that one of the protesting lawyers was the nephew of the country’s chief executive.

    He was also seen attacking a police vehicle that was later set on fire.

    https://twitter.com/fanwar03/status/1204827493435420672

    “After watching this clip, I feel ashamed of myself. This is murder!” Niazi tweeted separately as he distanced himself from what happened earlier in the day.

    “My support and protest was limited to initiation of legal action against the concerned doctors. I only stand for peaceful protests. It’s sad day and I condemn my own self for supporting this protest now [sic],” he maintained.

    Two FIRs [First Information Reports] have been registered against over 250 lawyers involved in the attack.