HEADS hang in shame over Lahore violence that took life of several innocent patients, an outcome that makes the incident worse than war crimes. It has rightly been pointed out by saner voices that hospitals are spared even by the enemy during war but here the most sensitive medical facility was attacked, ransacked and its equipment damaged by those who are considered to be crème of the society. Therefore, the universal condemnation of the attack was quite understandable but the abhorring incident calls for a thorough national debate as to what has went wrong in the society and how to prevent such tragedies in future.
No one would defend the video by a member of the medical community ridiculing and mocking lawyers but what black-coats did was over-reaction and their berserk behaviour and conduct has done irreparable damage to the overall image of the country in general and the lawyers’ community in particular. No doubt, freedom of expression should not be misused to hurt feelings and sentiments of others but it is height of intolerance to respond in a manner that crosses all norms of civilized conduct. Not to speak of the layman, even just minded members of legal fraternity too have strongly condemned the attack saying that it was unimaginable to ransack a medical facility where operations were underway, more operations were planned and scores were in critical condition after heart surgery. The video and the attack have created tension, hatred and enmity between two otherwise highly educated segments of the society that were believed to be torch-bearers of peace and amity. Lawyers defend the rule of law and the Constitution in the courts and plead for those whose interests and rights have been trampled in any manner by other individuals, groups, entities or the state. What people watched on television screens on Wednesday in Lahore was not an isolated incident but part of an overall intolerant attitude of their community as demonstrated by them the same day in Muzaffarabad where they ransacked the judicial complex and earlier incidents of manhandling of judges. The conduct of many members of the medical profession too is not appropriate as they spend more time in politics and agitation than serving the ailing community in dispensaries and hospitals. It was also regrettable that Provincial Minister Fayyaz Hassan Chohan who wanted to placate the lawyers was also manhandled and got injured. However, there are reasons to believe that the Government too is responsible for the gory incident. There are reports that the intelligence agencies sent timely warning to the provincial government that lawyers were planning protest and agitation against doctors but no preventive measures were taken to protect lives and public assets. The police watched the incident as silent spectators and came into action only when the Punjab Institute of Cardiology became a battle-field. On the request of the Punjab Government, the Federal Interior Ministry has approved deployment of Rangers in Lahore to maintain law and order. The question arises as to why such a strategy was not adopted beforehand? It would be wrong to shift the blame and responsibility by accusing the Opposition of sponsoring the protest as lawyers have been displaying similar behaviour during tenure of all governments. The Prime Minister has ordered an inquiry into the incident and this should not be restricted to what happened but why the provincial government did not act timely to prevent loss of life and property. The situation is still fluid as doctors have understandably given call for two-hour token strike daily against the attack but it is all the more regrettable that Pakistan Bar Council, instead of expressing sorrow over unbecoming attitude of its members in Lahore, has not only demanded release of arrested lawyers but also gave call for strike. This amounts to defending the undefendable. The seriousness of the Lahore incident demands not just an inquiry report but action both against all those who attacked the medical facility and those who failed to take security measures. Attacking a patients’ facility, burning police vehicles and damaging cars parked outside the hospital is nothing but sheer violence and should be treated as such.
