ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: Lady health workers arranged a protest in front of Parliament House and the Supreme Court, against the killing of polio workers in Karachi and Peshawar, here on Saturday.
The protesters chanted slogans against the killing of polio workers and demanded security for the polio teams. They also appealed for the immediate arrest of the accused.
The protesters then gathered in front of PM Secretariat and organised a sit-in. They also tried to enter the secretariat but the lady police constables managed to stop them.
Sajida Hameed, a lady health worker, while talking to Dawn complained that unfortunately the government is not taking any serious steps for the protection of polio workers.
“On Friday some of our colleagues arranged a protest in Multan. There were gunshots heard but the police declared it aerial firing. We work in a tense environment and now even people are reluctant to open their doors for us because they think that they can also become targets of terrorists because of lady health workers,” she said.
“Issue of our regularisation is also pending. Hearing regarding regularisations was scheduled for November 22 in the Supreme Court but it could not be held, and after which no new date for the hearing has been announced,” she said.
The protest ended only after the assurance that a delegation of health workers would be allowed to meet and register their complaints with Federal Minister Syed Khursheed Shah – who also heads the regularisation committee, on December 26.
Duty officer Secretariat Police Station, Mohammad Ilyas, informed that the lady workers peacefully dispersed at around 7:30pm, therefore there is no reason to register an FIR against them.
