LAHORE: Doctors of the Jinnah Hospital have filed a cross-first information report (FIR) against 103 journalists in the Garden Town Police Station on Friday.

The move follows Wednesday’s incident when doctors assaulted journalists in the hospital as the reporters tried to cover the death of a woman allegedly caused by her doctor’s negligence. However, the duty officer at the police station denied the registration of an FIR against journalists. A case was registered against the doctors involved in the Garden Town Police Station on the complaint of Punjab Union of Journalists President Rai Hussain Tahir.

In their FIR, the doctors claimed that the journalists had been carrying weapons and that they had stolen mobile phones, gold ornaments and cash from the doctors. They also alleged to have been assaulted by the journalists at the Jinnah Hospital. According to sources, the Punjab government has told its health secretary that an FIR will be registered against both parties. The sources said the Punjab government had appointed District and Session Court Judge Maqsood Arshad as a one-man tribunal to conduct an inquiry into the incident.

Separately, Rai Hussain told Daily Times that the Punjab government should not involve itself in the matter. He said journalists would continue “their war for the freedom of journalism”.
Source: Daily Times
Date:4/3/2010