An acid attack on a woman doctor in Pakistan has sent shockwaves through the medical sector, sparking strikes and protests demanding safety and justice for the victim. The incident occurred on Saturday at a hospital in Quetta, where a man threw acid at Dr. Mahnoor Nasir, causing burns to seven percent of her body, according to the provincial chief minister's office.
Attack and Aftermath
The suspected perpetrator, Humayun Shah, a lift operator at the medical facility, was killed by officers at a bus station as he tried to escape, authorities said. Dr. Nasir is receiving specialized treatment in Karachi, the country's largest city, and may require a skin transplant abroad, said Shahid Rind, spokesman for the chief minister of Balochistan province.
The case has highlighted the risk of violence and social disparities women face in Pakistan, where fears of harassment and attack have exacerbated a fast-growing doctor shortage. Surveys suggest that around a third of women drop out of the profession after graduating, despite outnumbering men in medical schools.
Protests and Demands
On Tuesday, members of the Young Doctors Association stopped work and protested at the hospital where the attack took place, with dozens sitting beneath a banner that read "Justice for Dr. Manoor." They announced a strike from non-emergency care until their demands for better security and an investigation were met.
Balochistan-based doctor Zeenat Shawani told AFP, "It is a tragic incident but will have negative effects on female education as when the hospitals are not safe, who will dare to send their daughters for medical practice and education."
Hai Baloch, chairman of the Balochistan branch of the Young Doctors Association, decried a "catastrophic security failure" and called for a thorough investigation into how a lift operator could bring acid and throw it on a lady doctor in daylight.
Wider Concerns
Quetta's police inspector general Imran Shaukat told AFP that an investigation is underway, but the official inquiry and the suspected assailant's death have done little to quell women's concerns over violence at work. Quetta-based doctor Shazia Khapulwak said, "Female doctors and paramedics are in a state of fear of being harassed, raped, subjected to violence in these hospitals. One Mahnoor is fighting for her life in Karachi while hundreds of Mahnoors are forced to live under exploitative systems."
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan organized a protest in Quetta, demanding security for women working in government hospitals and stricter regulation of acid sales. Kashif Panezai, vice president of the organization's Balochistan chapter, questioned, "Why doesn't the government take action against the free sale of acid in the open market?"
International Response
The United Nations condemned the "brutal" violence. UN Women Pakistan stated, "Acid attacks are among the most devastating forms of gender-based violence, leaving survivors with lifelong physical and psychological scars."
Far from Quetta, news of the attack on social media left Islamabad-based medical officer Naima Arshad in tears. "I couldn't sleep that night. The moment I saw the video I imagined myself," said Arshad, a private clinic employee who has gone into what she called "survival mode." She added, "No one in the world should feel that unsafe in their profession."
Around 70,000 women, almost a fifth of Pakistan's 370,000 registered doctors, are listed in official registries but not practicing, according to medical associations. There is no recent reliable data on the exact number of acid attacks in Pakistan, but the advocacy group Acid Survivors Foundation reported around 1,180 violent incidents involving acid and other burn-causing substances between 2011 and 2018.
