By: SYED SHAHABUDDIN
Swat Action Committee, formed under the platform of the All Parties Conference, held an important meeting at TMA Hall Mingora to oppose the implementation of the MTI (Medical Teaching Institution) Act at Saidu Teaching Hospital and to demand the full restoration of the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Swat. The meeting was chaired by Abdur Rahim, President of Malakand Division Traders Federation, and attended by leaders from various political parties, lawyers, traders, doctors, civil society members, and journalists. Key participants included JUI’s General Secretary Ejaz Khan, PPP District President Saleem Khan, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Barkat Ali, QWP’s Muhammad Iqbal, former ANP Tehsil Nazim Ikram Khan, former District Bar aaGenearal Secretary Dunya Zeb , All Swat hotel association president Alhaj Zahid Khan, YDA District President Dr. Shehzad Khan, Dr. Khawaja Irfan, Dr. Khalid Mehmood, Iftikhar Afzal, Tariq Khan, and General Secretary of Swat Press Club, Muhammad Shafiullah.
The committee members expressed strong resentment over the provincial government’s indifference and criticized elected representatives for not contacting the committee or attending the meeting, even after the success of a previous grand jirga. Participants made it clear that the implementation of the MTI act and any form of hospital privatization will not be tolerated under any circumstances. They demanded the immediate restoration of the DHQ Hospital, terming it a fundamental right of the people of Swat. At the end of the meeting, the Swat Action Committee issued a one-week ultimatum to the government. If their demands are not met within this timeframe, the committee warned of launching a series of protests, sit-ins, and strikes. The committee stated that the full responsibility for any future unrest will lie with the government and elected representatives.
