PESH AWAR: Awami National Party general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Friday urged the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf to resolve the problems of young doctors through talks instead of beating them up.

The ANP leader visited the injured young doctors in hospital after they were baton charged by the police while protesting against dissolution of the central Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI) and the alleged privatisation of government hospitals in the province.

`The youth which voted Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf to power are being beaten up by the party for only demanding some action in institutional matters, which is very sad,` said Mr Hussain.

He regretted that it was painful to see that a young doctor ended up in the ICU after being beaten up at Hayatabad Medical Complex by police while others were injured and arrested.Police on Tuesday took action against representatives of Young Doctors Association (YDA) and arrested 10 doctors at Hayatabad Medical Complex.

The government and police should not treat the YDA in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa like Punjab, and instead of beating them, resolve the matter through talks, the ANP leader stressed, adding that young doctors were holding protest because despite the government`s nod to their demands head of the Board of Governors of Lady Reading Hospital Dr Nosherwan Barki had rejected their demands.

Iftikhar Hussain said that beating protesting doctors was cruel.

Mr Hussain, who also visited the protest camp of doctors, said the government needed to listen to what the doctors had been demanding. The young doctors have their complaints too as they believe the PTI government is boasting of bringing doctors from abroad but treating its own young doctors cruelly andbeating them, said Mr Hussain.

The seasoned politician said the ANP was standing by the YDA and wished the provincial government could listen to their grievances and resolve the problems through talks not throughbatoncharge.

Police baton charged young doctors when they tried to get OPD and different wards of HMC vacated. However, the doctors denied the charge and said it was a peaceful protest.

According to YDA president Dr Gulab Noor, they were not demanding any pay raise or allowance but were protesting against dissolution of PGMI and alleged privatisation of hospitals.

After beating YDA members and arrest of doctors, health minister Shahram Khan Tarakai made it clear at a press conference that they would not tolerate any such attempt or protest to close down hospitals. He enumerated the incentives that the PTI government has announcedforthe doctorsin the province.