Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Medical personnel pressured into silence

Islamabad (The Washington Post): The authorities pressured the medical personnel who tried to save Benazir Bhutto's life to remain silent about what happened in her final hour and removed records of her treatment from the facility, the Washington Post reported Tuesday. The report said doctors who were at Bhutto's side at Rawalpindi General Hospital said they were under extreme pressure not to share details about the nature of the injuries she suffered.

“The government took all medical records right after Ms. Bhutto's time of death was read out,” said a visibly shaken doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity. Sweating and putting his head in his hands, he said: “look, we have been told by the government to stop talking.” Babar Awan, a top PPP official who said he saw Bhutto's body after the attack and identified two clearly defined bullet wounds -- entry and exit points. He said the principal professor of surgery at the hospital, Mussadiq Khan, was “extremely nervous, but eventually told me that Benazir had died of a bullet wound. Why was this man so nervous?” Awan said. “He told me firsthand he was under pressure not to talk about how she died.”

Reached at his home in Islamabad, Dr Khan declined to comment.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The personnel in authority that are trying to pressure the doctors need to be named. They need to be exposed, questioned and grilled. This will reveal the nexus of rogue elements within our security apparatus who are the main cause of frustrating our national fight on terror.

Brig. Javed Iqbal Cheema needs to be similarly grilled to disclose the source and identity of the exact person/ people who brought in the misinformation that Ms Bhutto 's cause of death was the sun roof lever.

Unless we defeat the rogue elements and cleanse our own security apparatus, it is a blunt instument with which to fight the terrorists and the extremists. This is the reason Musharaf has been unsuccessful so far.

It really IS easy. You have to catch one by the scruff of his neck and follow the trail. It will open up the entire network!

This is the time to make the tough decision. Invite the foreign investigators, give them full support. After they leave, follow up the clean up job till the end.

NADRA can be tasked with creating a database of rogue individuals that may be flagged into A, B and C categories, based on highest level input from each organisation. Only after a clean up of our security apparatus can the fight against militancy be waged! This is left to the next government but the cleanup must commence forthwith.

To this regime: Are you with us or against ... Pakistan Zindabad.