50 lawyers arrested for attack on hospital in Lahore

Pakistan police on Thursday arrested 50 lawyers, including women, for attacking a cardiac hospital that caused death of five patients in critical condition. A large number of lawyers forced their entry into the Lahore's Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) to avenge what they said was an assault by doctors on a fellow advocate weeks ago.

As the lawyers forced their entry into the hospital the doctors and paramedical staff ran for their lives, leaving the patients unattended. Punjab Health Minister Yasmeen Rashid later told the media that the casualties took place after doctors were unable to provide the patients timely treatment during their bid to avert the assault, Geo News reported.

"We have arrested 50 lawyers and registered an FIR against a total 250 lawyers under terrorism charges," Lahore police chief Zulfiqar Hameed told reporters here on Thursday. He said the police have identified the lawyers who attacked the PIC through CCTV cameras.

"We are raiding to arrest the remaining lawyers," he said. Those arrested also include women lawyers. The FIR against lawyers under the anti-terrorism act and other charges has also been registered.

Interestingly, Prime Minister Imran Khan's nephew Barrister Hassan Khan Niazi was also among the attackers. Police, however, did not lay hand on him. "PM's nephew Hassan Khan was caught on camera in PIC attack but the police have been stopped from arresting him," PML-N lawmaker Azma Bokhari said.

Meanwhile, doctors and lawyers observed province wide strike. Doctors protested against lawyers attack while the latter against the arrest of their colleagues. The provincial government has also deployed personnel of Punjab Rangers at 10 locations in Lahore in order to control the situation.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)