ISLAMABAD: The health ministry has denied reports suggesting that it plans to appoint serving officers from the Pakistan Army Medical Corps as the heads of the two largest state-run hospitals in Islamabad.
A spokesperson for the health ministry clarified on Sunday that the selection of the hospital heads will be carried out in accordance with standard recruitment rules.
This clarification comes in response to earlier reports indicating that the interim government has decided to assign serving officers from the Pakistan Army to lead the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and Polyclinic on a three-year deputation.
The spokesperson further explained that this decision was made during a meeting chaired by the health minister on August 25 and emphasized that the government is committed to ensuring transparency and merit in the appointment process.
Furthermore, the ministry intends to appoint suitable candidates who can enhance the quality of healthcare services provided to the public.
Pakistan’s Struggle to Protect Journalists: Impunity Crisis Revealed in 2023 Report
Meanwhile, Pakistan has, despite enacting legislation to protect journalists, failed to effectively address the rising impunity for crimes against journalists, as revealed in Freedom Network’s Annual Impunity 2023 report released on Sunday.
The report, titled “One step forward, two steps back – Pakistan legislates on the safety of journalists, but still fails to protect them,” was issued ahead of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, observed on November 2.
Despite the introduction of safety laws for journalists in late 2021 by both the Sindh and federal governments, Pakistan has witnessed a concerning increase in the persecution of journalists over the two years following the legislation. The persecution, particularly by government authorities and state agencies, includes incidents such as kidnappings, physical assaults, and the filing of serious legal cases against journalists, often on unproven charges of sedition, treason, and electronic crimes.
