LAHORE   -   The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday reserved the verdict on a petition for a judicial inquiry into the Sahiwal Hospital fire incident.

LHC Acting Chief Justice Shujaat Ali Khan reserved the verdict on the petition filed by Young Doctors Association (YDA) President Shoaib Niazi upon the completion of arguments by the parties.

During the proceedings, Shoaib Niazi stated that the YDA had ended the strike in public hospitals across Punjab. He added that the YDA general council had announced an end to the strike in all public hospitals across the province.

At this, the Acting Chief Justice observed that doctors were assets to the country and were assigned to protect the lives of the people.

Shoaib Niazi had filed the petition for the formation of a judicial commission to ascertain the reasons for the deaths of babies at Sahiwal Teaching Hospital. He also requested that actions taken by the Health department following the Sahiwal hospital incident be declared illegal, that the postgraduate training termination order be suspended until the final decision on the petition, and that the termination of doctors’ ad-hoc jobs be nullified.

It is pertinent to mention that the acting chief justice had directed the doctors to end their strike a day earlier during the hearing of the petition.