SARGODHA: Panic spread in the district headquarters (DHQ) hospital on Tuesday when the inverter of its solar system suddenly caught fire and smoke engulfed the premises, forcing attendants to shift the patients to some safe place.

As per reports, an inverter of a solar system installed in the hospital caught fire and hospital staff attempted to extinguish the fire on their own. However, panic spread among the hospital staff, patients and their attendants when smoke engulfed the entire hospital.

To avoid harm, many attendants started shifting the patients to safe places on their own.

On being informed of the blaze, Rescue 1122 firefighters reached the hospital and controlled the blaze.

As per sources, the fire erupted due to negligence of the hospital staff concerned and the substandard electric wiring material used by the contractors.

According to hospital’s Medical Superintendent Dr Mushtaq Bashir Akif, the blaze caused no harm to the hospital building or patients because the solar system was installed away from the wards. He said the treatment and tests of patients have been resumed after the smoke cleared.

The hospital authorities have formed an investigation team to find out the reasons for the fire, which will compile its report and submit to the MS.

PROTEST: Residents, mostly women, staged a protest at Awan Chowk on Tuesday to condemn the torture of a woman, who was stripped naked in the city.

Sources said the women protested at Awan Chowk, a densely populated area of New Satellite Town, against the incident which occurred a few days ago. They said armed people from the area stormed a house in Jinnah Abadi in an attempt to seize it. They beat Niaz Shamim, stripped her of her clothes, and violated her dignity. The suspects fled when police arrived.

On the occasion, the victim stated that a former MNA had allotted her a three-marla plot in 1984. She built a house on it, but now, influential figures in the area wanted to take it over using bogus documents.

Protesters said even though an application had been submitted, Satellite Town police were reluctant to act against the influential people. The protesting women demanded that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz order the immediate arrest of the culprits.

The police said they had received a complaint regarding violence against the woman and an attempted land grab. They assured that the incident would be investigated and those responsible brought to justice.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2025