Doctors Strike: The Aftermath

Doctors’ Strike: The Aftermath



It has been two months since one of the largest strike by doctors shook the province of Punjab. It all started with the closure of Outdoor Patient Departments (OPDs) in all major hospitals across the province as a gesture to protest against the attitude of the Government of Punjab in provision of a better service structure for Doctors. It was a move designed to be of minimal impact because only ‘stable’ patients visit OPDs and there was no threat to patients’ lives. Last year similar protests by doctors led to a commitment by the Chief Minister to provide a new service structure and committees were formed to pave the way for formulating an acceptable formula. The closure of OPDs happened after one year of useless meetings with the representatives of Punjab government.

Last year, government was unable to control doctors and the chaos led to loss of many precious lives and ended with a truce. This time around, Khwaja Salman Rafiq (brother of Saad Rafiq and Special Assistant to Chief Minister on matters of Health) was designated the responsibility to ‘deal’ with the situation. Punjab Government started giving half-page advertisements in all major newspapers stating it had already done too much for the doctors and that doctors were essentially getting too big for their own boots. An estimated Rs. 1.6 million per day was given to newspapers and Rs. 450 million of public money was spent on advertising by ‘Khadim e Aala’s government. In addition, Essential Services Act was enforced by the govt, making it mandatory for doctors to do their OPD duties or else receive legal proceedings.

On 1^st July, 2012(after 21 days of OPD closure), a police raid was conducted at Doctors’ Hostel, Services hospital Lahore, resulting in arrest of numerous doctors. The same night, hundreds of other doctors were arrested from their homes. There was another raid at Doctors’ Hostel, King Edward Medical College on the night of 2^nd July. A total of 360 doctors were kept in Jails including Kot Lakhpat, Attock and Mianwali for four days. As a result of all this, emergency services were withdrawn from all major hospitals and any negotiations were made subject to release of all the doctors.

I want to recount some of the ‘stunts’ pulled out by the government during all this, apart from ‘Advertisement’ money from the public exchequer.  

1. ‘Medical Martial Law’:

As a ‘contingency’ plan during the closure of OPDs, Punjab government requested help of Army Medical Corps (AMC) to decrease patient overload. This was an unprecedented act of desperateness and expediency shown by the big-wigs of Punjab Government. This ‘experiment’ did not work out though. It failed miserably. Senior Doctors said it on record that the Army doctors were not trained to deal with such situations. Additionally, those doctors were paid Rs 2000 per hour of duty and special police contingents were employed outside hospitals where the Army doctors worked. For comparison, government of Punjab was paying Rs 800 per day to junior doctors and Rs 1400 per day to seniors whose places the Army doctors took for few days.
There were reports of those Army doctors misbehaving with the senior doctors and the ‘flexible’ duty hours practiced by our 'Jarri Jawans'. At the start of the Strike, Zaid Hamid's Baloongra's alleged that YDA punjab is actually “NGO funded Young Animal Association” and they work for money, not for saving lives. The 'Brave' Army Doctors that came 'to the rescue' didn't work for free though. This is the characteristic selective Amnesia practiced by Qibla Zaid Hamid and his followers.  For the Record, only 200 Army Doctors were deployed.!!!

2. The PCO Doctors

During the strike by Junior Doctors, Government hired around 500 new doctors (in place of around 5000 doctors) on ad-hoc basis. Those individuals are known these days as ‘PCO doctors’. They mostly include foreign graduates (who can’t normally get jobs at Government Hospitals as per orders of Chief Minister) and people who could not get job in ordinary circumstances. Some people, who had not practiced medicine for more than 10 years, joined the service just to get a paid Job. Chief Minister Punjab is fond of parroting the mantra of ‘Merit’ but these blatantly out-of-merit inductions did not gain his attention. All these people were hired against the rules and on ‘paid seats’ while more than 50% doctors work in government sector without getting any pay.

3. The legal Front

Apart from hundreds of doctors arrested without any justification, four doctors from Mayo Hospital were charged with Murder of a child that died in the Pediatrics Ward on the night of 1^st July, 2012. The Strike was also challenged in court and it resulted in involvement of Lahore High Court in the matter. The court ordered to release all doctors who were arrested without any legal reason and granted bail to the four doctors alleged to be involved in the Murder. It was further ordered that matters pertaining to Service Structure should be solved amicably by the Punjab Government.

4. Lies and Damn Lies
Throughout the strikes, there was a continuous propaganda mongering done against the ‘Cream of Nation’. Government Officials lied on Television programs and press-conferences about doctors being greedy, selfish, hooligans etc. The entire Advertisements campaign consisted of Jacked up figures that were used to fool people.

The Aftermath

On 2^nd August, one month after the strike, a follow-up meeting was called up by Young Doctors Association in Services Hospital Lahore. Dr. Amir Bandesha, member of the committee delibrating the future service structure, explained at length about the proposed changes to the existing structure and the points on which a consensus had been reached between Punjab Govt and YDAP. ‘PCO Doctors’ are still working in the hospitals despite resumption of services by young doctors and it is the demand of YDAP to transfer them to DHQs and RHCs.  After the meeting of general council of Young Doctors Association on 29^th August, 2012, province-wide protests were held on 5^th of September to exert further pressure on the Govt to solve our problems. Committees have failed to provide us any relief and even the Lahore High Court has been unable to enforce the writ of law. Another Protest/Dharna is planned for 19^th September and a March to the CM Punjab House after that. Is another showdown between doctors and State on the way?

On Keyboard Jihadis

(originally published by Pakistan Today)

The recent wave of popularity of Imran Khan and his likes among teenagers and younger generation is an interesting phenomenon. It is heartening to see the so-called ‘de-politicized’ youth taking active part in political discussions. Before the meteoric rise of Imran Khan’s party, younger people also formed the support of Musharraf on social media and organizations like Hizb ut Tehrir and Brass Tacks of Zaid Hamid also find most of their recruits among the same youth. What has led this generation to turn around, unlike their elders, and gotten them active in the political sense? This should be an important question for sociologists interested in Pakistani Society. Following are a few observations by the author about the “New Youth” based on interactions with many youth groups and people on social media.

Who are they?


Urban kids brought up on heavy doses of state propaganda through textbooks, jingoistic dramas about Kashmir on PTV, dramas like Alpha Bravo Charlie portraying a softer, jolly side of the Armed forces, incessant references to the Afghan war in 1980s as Jihad, endless political intrigues throughout the 90s and the relative calm of the early Musharaf years, the conspiracy mongering and everyone-is-against-us proclamations after 9/11, load shedding and suicide bombs. Their political evolution did not start from student politics or local area politics but from IRC channels to Facebook and Twitter via MSN Messenger.
They have compartmentalized the role of institutions in the country. Army good, politicians bad.


What do they think?


They strongly believe that democracy is un-Islamic and democratic institutions cannot provide solutions to their problems. They extol the military and everything it does and anyone who dares criticize the military on human rights issues is a traitor. Their self righteousness is raised to delusional levels.
They read all kinds of articles on the internet but their minds process everything using a simplistic algorithm: Us versus them (they can mean U.S, Zionists, Israel, India or the West). They do not think there is any difference between Islam and Political Islam. They rationalize the suicide bombings and Taliban rule in Waziristan as being funded by “foreign forces”. They completely believe in the myth that Allama Iqbal was the spiritual father of the country(for further explanation, read pages 9 to 12  of Hasan Jafar Zaidi’s thesis “Emergence of Pakistan”) and Mr. Jinnah’s vision of Pakistan was closer to that of Modern Day Saudi Arabia or Iran rather than that of Modern day Turkey or Bangladesh. They consider secular minded people as the “scum of the earth” and enemies of Pakistan.For them, the concept of ‘Peaceful co-habitation’ is not kosher and is libelous because it negates the “Us versus Them” paradigm.  Internet has offered them the cloak of anonymity and thus they go on abusing their own freedom of speech, inconveniencing anyone who does not agree with their positions. They seek a return to the Islamic model of government implemented by Taliban in Afghanistan or the one favored by our very own, General Zia. They do not know how Zia’s period in power pushed this country back almost 20 years.


Why has this happened?


Nabiha Meher Shaikh in her blog post, “Children of Zia” opined,
“Very few across Pakistan, elite or not, teach critical thinking which is absolutely essential and should be compulsory from an early age. Without the ability to think, education starts to resemble indoctrination. And in a country like ours, where schools have no option but to teach state-sanctioned propaganda under the guise of Pakistan Studies and Islamiyat, which aims to indoctrinate with a linear vision, this becomes even more necessary. One is not allowed to challenge the syllabus and is expected to regurgitate a single perspective – the chosen perspective. If you don’t, you fail and that is not an option most are willing to take. This sends a clear message: difference and diversity will not be tolerated.

By putting profit above quality and by not teaching critical thinking from an early age, we are a part of the problem. What we are breeding is an even more dangerous form of terrorist than the ignorant, brainwashed madrassa students who do not know any better. They were never taught to think unlike those who choose not to and continue to believe in conspiracies, which are trendy and perpetuated by celebrities like Ali Azmat. It is shocking when it comes from a well-dressed, articulate student in a suit attending the top business school in the country; one whose aim in life is to then move abroad, work for a multi-national that he is currently dismissing as an evil Zionist company. I wonder how many future Faisal Shahzads and Dr Aafias are out there.”


Is this a new Phenomenon?

According to cultural critic, Nadeem F Paracha, the slogans and rhetoric of this new urban middle class keyboard-warrior are rehashed version of the same anti-Imperialist rhetoric used by Leftist groups in the 1960s and 70s. The only difference being that after Zia-era indoctrination, Che Guevara and Fidel Castro have been replaced by Osama bin Laden and Anwar al Awlaki.

Conclusion


To sum it up, I would like to quote journalist Xiao Lixin from   her recent  article “False impression of post-80s kids”


“If we claim that a whole generation is at fault, then there must be problems with the society in which they have been brought up and in which they live, in which case we need to pinpoint the problems and find solutions.

Young people live in a society that is completely different from the one their parents knew at their age and they have developed a different outlook on life.”

Knowing Thy Enemy(PCF special)

Knowing Thy Enemy

I just finished watching the video 

'SAFMA-Sexpress-Geo Scoundrel Gang EXPOSED & ANNIHILATED!'(present above)

Being the nit-picker that I am, I noticed dozens of mistakes apart from the trashy music (the one before this had a better soundtrack).

Let’s start.

1. The First image in the video 'desecrates' the Pakistani Flag, making it looks similar to the Saudi flag, which by the way is a punishable offence according to the Constitution of Pakistan.

2. The First video is of a US news anchor telling us that President Obama has 'pledged' 50 million dollars to the Pakistani Media. There is no evidence provided about Where those Dollars went. (If anyone of you know how to get our hands in the Cookie Jar, please DM me, I need some of those $s) 

3. The next slide is of the word 'SAFMA'(without NO proof.!! Guilty by default.??).

They are labeled 'defeatist' minded secularists, which is a mockery of the English Language. They are also labeled 'mouthpieces of RAW/CIA/Mossad'(oh shit, they missed MI5 and Shiv Sena).

4. The First person to face the guillotine is Mr.Imtiaz Alam(who at least I personally am not a fan of, because his dogs were looking at me with menace while I was walking near them in shadman,lahore few months ago. #TrueStory) is presented as someone 'who ridiculed Prophet (SAW)in a program'

while actually in the clip that follows, Mr. Imtiaz Alam(in presence of hundreds of audience members on the set of that program) 'ridiculed the concept of 'Qaumi Ghairat'(which we all know, is not something to be taken lightly). These PCF hawks are, by default, inciting people for murder of a person by presenting him as Gustakh e Rasool. THIS is treason.

5. Next up is Marvi Sirmed, the favorite punching bag of Baloongra followers after she showed the mirror to Baloongra in Shahid Nama last year. They have presented some of her re-tweets, i.e. NOT HER TWEETS BUT THE ONES SHE RE TWEETED. The First one paints her as an 'atheist'.

The second is her statement that 'equal rights not possible in Islamic Welfare State',(which, if PCF Fmembers ever went out of their homes or watched Television, will know is what Tsunami Khan promises). But who cares anyways, brand her a Gustakh e Rasul as well.

Next up is her retweet about separation of Balochistan to which she added the sad face smiley faces ( L ) WHICH MEANS SHE DOES NOT LIKE WHAT IS HAPPENING IN BALOCHISTAN, you morons.

Cue the statement that SAFMA wants 'balkanization of Pakistan'.

6. Asma Shirazi is their next target. Her only crime is to applaud Ali Dayan Hasan on Twitter, who according to the dimwits of PCF 'supported' the CIA-backed terrorists of BLA in US Congress. As usual, no evidence or proof provided.

7. Hamid Mir is the next line, because, oh wait for it, JUST wait for it,

he accuses the #DeepState

of throwing dead bodies from helicopters and surprise, surprise, they(PCF) ask for PROOFS in the very next slide. Some nerve.

They also accuse Hamid meer of being part of Khalid Khwaja’s murder(he was no angel, mind u), citing a call that supposedly took place between Hamid mir and a TTP terrorist.

Their next plea is 'why is Pak Army subjected to baseless blames??', How Cute.

8. Their next target is Beena Sarwar who re-tweeted NFP's tweet about his neighborhood mullah delivering an aural attack on the senses. While the statement can be interpreted in many ways, it cannot be used as evidence against Beena. The fact that she is the third female to be targeted is a clear evidence of the sexist, patriarchal values that the PCF members so aspire of. 

‎9. Next up is (S)express tribune, which according to PCF is 'a platform for these blockheads to express themselves'. For the record, NONE of the above mentioned people work or even WRITE for ET. 

Jahanzaib Haque gets special attention, due to his Jay Toons. They cite examples where he has addressed the issue of the ST assassination by Qadri. Jahanzaib's crime, was to use to words, 'your fundo khala'. Next example is where J has raised the issue of child molestation. Oh,HOW DARE HE RAISE HIS VOICE against such fabricated lies, no one in Pakistan EVER molested a child, or threw acid on someone’s face, or killed people based on false allegations of blasphemy. No Sir, that has not happened in the 'Land of Pure' since Mahmud Ghaznavi threatened the caliph of Baghdad to attack his state, oh sorry, that never happened either..

10. The next slide made me laugh and cry out loud, in equal measure. Read for yourself.

'Do they know something called 'Media Ethics''

nuff said.

11. Next up is some pictures of logos of TV channels and the same video from a U.S channel that was played earlier.(According to my dear Amir Saeed, the same clip has been played by Kashif Abbasi in his show and this is NOT a U.S channel but a Russian Channel.!!)

12. The best, though, was left for the last.

Yuri Bezmenov's video about spreading misinformation through media is played.

A brief background of this gentleman.

*He was a journalist and former KGB informant from Soviet Union who defected to Canada. 

*He was an expert in oriental languages and spent many years in India.

*He escaped to Canada in 1970.

*He was an anti-communist and very pro American. He even wrote a book LOVE LETTER TO AMERICA.!!!

* In an interview in 1984, he told Edward Griffin, that, 

“They will be very unhappy [and] frustrated people, and Marxist-Leninist regime does not tolerate these people. Obviously they will join the [ranks] of dissenters; dissidents. Unlike the present United States there will be no place for dissent in future Marxist-Leninist America. [Now] you can get popular like Daniel Elsburg and filthy rich like Jane Fonda for being a dissident [and] for criticizing your Pentagon. In [the] future these people will simply be [he makes a squishy noise] squashed like cockroaches for criticizing the government. Nobody is going to pay them nothing for their beautiful [and] noble ideas of EQUALITY. This they don't understand and it will be the greatest shock for them, of course.” 

This sounds so much like a tirade by any of the Republican Presidential nominees(a mixture of paranoia and lack of real time knowledge of politics) and much less like a balanced approach. 

PCF,in hatred of SAFMA, used info from a totally biased person, no surprises there. They would even take the side of the Devil if he said something mildly against SAFMA.

In “Exposing” and “Annihilating” SAFMA, PCF has, fortunately, exposed themselves.
 

(P.S If someone wants to know more about the leader of this PCF, here is a phone conversation between him and Zaid Hamid, provided courtesy Amir Saeed).