Lahore witnessed a chaotic scene on Friday as protests led by the Young Doctors Association (YDA) Punjab turned violent, resulting in the use of water cannons by police to disperse the crowd. Two protesters, including YDA Punjab President Dr. Shoaib Niazi, reportedly fainted during the clash on Mall Road.
The protest, which had been building up for days, intensified after YDA leaders announced plans to march from Charing Cross to the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in opposition to the government’s decision to outsource public hospitals. Despite warnings and heavy police presence at Charing Cross, the protesters—comprising doctors, nurses, and paramedics—proceeded toward the CM Secretariat after Friday prayers.
According to eyewitnesses, tensions peaked when the police tried to stop the march. A confrontation ensued, during which officers allegedly manhandled several young medical professionals, including Dr. Niazi. The police then used water cannons to push the crowd back. Video footage circulating on social media showed Dr. Niazi collapsed on the road, prompting outrage from medical staff and sympathizers. However, police officials dismissed the incident as a staged act, claiming they had only used low-pressure water to disperse the demonstrators and accused the protesters of exaggerating the situation to gain public sympathy.
Protesters countered by alleging the water used was contaminated, which led to the fainting of two individuals. Police denied these allegations, stating that the YDA was violating prior agreements by attempting to shift their protest from Charing Cross and accused them of using female staff as shields.
Despite the crackdown, some protestors managed to bypass police barricades and staged sit-ins at alternative locations like Club Chowk and outside the Alhamra Arts Council. In a show of solidarity, paramedics at Lahore General Hospital shut down outpatient departments (OPDs) and certain wards in protest of the suspension of two hospital employees who supported the demonstrations. Reports also emerged that patients were forced out of OPD areas as protestors locked doctors’ rooms in the facility.
Speaking to the media, Dr. Shoaib Niazi vowed to continue the protest movement by calling for OPD strikes across public hospitals, emphasizing that the health community will not back down until the outsourcing decision is reversed. The unfolding situation reflects growing unrest among healthcare workers who believe the government’s decision threatens public healthcare and their job security.
