The Young Doctors’ Association (YDA) has started different tactics to save its General Secretary Dr Altamash, who was red-handedly arrested by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in illegal transplantation of kidney last week, Pakistan Today has learnt on Thursday.
On other hands, the FIA has decided to expand the investigation on the grounds of money laundering against Dr Altamash and his family.
FIA officials informed many YDA doctors had starting exerting pressure on FIA investigators to affect probing process against Dr Altamash. “The sympathiser doctors are trying to prove that the FIA officials tortured the accused doctor after taking him in custody. They have taken a fake medical examination certificate from their ‘favourite hospital and doctors’ that Dr Altamash’s eardrum has been damaged due to torture”, they said, adding that FIA seeks the medical report again doctor based on transparent examination.
A couple of days ago, the representatives of YDA had said that they had nothing to do with the Dr Altamash and assured they will not protect any doctor involved in such crimes.
YDA spokesman Dr Khurram Shahzad while talking to Pakistan Today said that YDA has not decided to come out in favour of Dr Altamash as it already had expressed its stance. However, he said that there are chances that government itself framed Dr Altamash in the crime. “We demand fair and transparent probe against the accused and all secret hands involved behind this must be exposed”, he added.
Dr Alatmash and Dr Fawad were caught red-handedly last Saturday by the FIA in a rented house in private housing society of the city.
At the time of the raid, two donors a rickshaw driver Amir and a woman Roushni had undergone surgery on a promise of Rs 150,000 each. According to FIA officials, these kidneys were to be transplanted to foreigners belonging to Oman.
According to agency officials, the accused belonged to a group that was involved in illegal organ transplantation across the country. They further disclosed that the arrested doctors used to sell the kidneys to foreigners at a high price ranging from rupees four to five million each.
After the FIA had given authority to act against those involved in illegal kidney transplantation under Human Organ Transplant Authority (HOTA) Act 2010, this was the first raid done by FIA. Under this act, the criminal could face a punishment of ten years imprisonment and one million rupees penalty could also be imposed on him.
