PESHAWAR—Unidentified assailants seriously injured renowned urologist and former Chairman of Peshawar General Hospital (PGH), Dr. Asif Malik, in an assassination attempt in the city’s University Town area last night.
Police and PGH officials confirmed the attack on Wednesday, stating that Dr. Malik—a pioneer of kidney transplantation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP)—sustained multiple gunshot wounds near his residence in University Town. Emergency responders shifted the surgeon to PGH, where he currently remains under intensive care.
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Police Investigation and Medical Condition
City police issued a statement confirming that an investigation team recovered three empty pistol bullet shells from the crime scene. Authorities registered a case on the urologist’s behalf and assigned teams to arrest the perpetrators. “Teams are currently obtaining CCTV footage to identify those behind the attack,” a city police spokesperson said.
Peshawar General Hospital confirmed in a late-night update that Dr. Asif Malik, who also serves as the Chairman of Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority is currently stable. The hospital administration requested the public to respect the family’s privacy and urged social media users to avoid spreading unverified rumors. “The relevant authorities are handling the matter, and we are fully cooperating with them,” the hospital stated.
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Provincial Doctors Association Denounces “Incompetence”
The attack triggered an immediate and sharp reaction from the provincial medical community. Dr. Muhammad Zubair Zahir, Chairman of the Provincial Doctors Association (PDA), described the incident as a manifestation of the increasing violence against healthcare professionals.
“This is the third such incident. We can no longer tolerate such incidents,” Dr. Zahir said. He specifically criticized the provincial government for failing to protect doctors, citing previous unsolved cases involving Dr. Warda Mushtaq in Abbottabad and the murder of Dr. Mehwish Hasnain in Kohat.
The PDA chairman announced that doctors, paramedics, nurses, and support staff will collectively formulate a “course of action” to protest the lack of security. The association intends to hold a consultative meeting with all medical bodies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to decide on a future strategy.
“Our duty is to convey the message that we will not tolerate this series of events anymore,” Dr. Zahir emphasized. While the medical community continues to pray for Dr. Malik’s recovery, the threat of province-wide strikes looms as healthcare workers demand immediate justice and structural security reforms.
