RAWALPINDI, Nov 3: The young doctors of the city staged a protest on Saturday against the Punjab government, demanding an improved service structure and elimination of criminal charges against the young doctors.

On the call of the Young Doctors Association (YDA) Punjab, over 100 young doctors, led by Dr. Mohammad Haroon, Dr. Hassan Khan and Dr. Umer Saeed gathered in front of the Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) in the morning and blocked the road for an hour.

The protesters, carrying placards inscribed with their demands, were chanting slogans against the provincial government and the Punjab chief minister for not taking the matter seriously.

They said a demonstration would be staged in front of the CM’s House in Lahore on November 7 if the government failed to meet their demands.

The protesters blocked the road for more than an hour and later dispersed peacefully.

During the protest, the traffic choked at the Benazir Bhutto Road, leaving motorists stranded between the Committee Chowk Underpass and Naz Cinema Chowk.

While addressing the gathering, the speakers vowed to continue protesting till acceptance of their demands, adding the government should recognise the doctors’ demands and improve their service structure.

The speakers said the Lahore High Court had stopped doctors from observing strike during duty hours, and they had not violated the order since the protest was launched by those doctors who were on weekly off.