LAHORE – Prof Tehseen-un-Nabi Sahi of the King Edward Medical University has been elected unopposed as president of the Medical Teachers Association (MTA) Punjab amid protest by doctors’ associations.
In a hurriedly called press conference on Sunday, Election Commissioner Dr Ibrar Ashraf Ali announced that entire panel of Dr Tehseen-un-Nabi Sahi had been elected unopposed since no other candidate had filed his or her nomination papers against any of the seats.
Dr Ehsan-ur-Rehman of the Allama Iqbal Medical College, Dr Muhammad Waris Farooka of the Services Institute of Medical Sciences and Dr Masood-ur-Rauf Hiraj have been elected unopposed as general secretary, treasurer and joint secretary, respectively.
As per the constitutional provision of the MTA Punjab Chapter Organisation Clause B(b)2, the institutional presidents of respective MTAs will be ex-officio vice presidents of the MTA Punjab.
Meanwhile, the Medical Teachers Association Punjab has criticised the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) over ‘unopposed election’ of medical teachers’ body, saying it was aimed at dividing the community at a crucial stage when matter of service structure was under consideration.
In the presence of MTA in the province and all medical universities and colleges, a group of doctors has announced unopposed election of Medical Teachers Association in Punjab, causing already existing bodies to hold an emergency meeting on Sunday to evaluate the situation after the election.
“MTA has decided to issue notices to those involved in creating rifts in medical community through fake elections”, said MTA General Secretary Dr Tehseen Riaz after meeting the teachers’ body on Sunday.
“The Medical Teachers Association already exists in the province, medical universities and colleges. Not a single chapter of MTA has been informed about the election schedule. A handful of PMA men announced unopposed election of Punjab MTA for vested interests. Similar move at the King Edward Medical University has earlier failed due to timely intervention of Vice Chancellor Prof Assad Aslam”, said Dr Riaz.
He said hardly six teachers from different institutions sit together at PMA House to constitute Punjab MTA.
Meanwhile, office bearers of MTAs in different medical universities and colleges including Prof Azeem Jehangir, Dr Zia Ullah Bajwa, Dr Afsar Bhatti and Dr Kurram Sohail condemned the move and demanded of heads of institutions to take action against those involved in the conspiracy of dividing the medical community.