QUETTA: An acid attack against a woman doctor has sent shockwaves through Pakistan’s medical sector, sparking strikes and a protest Tuesday demanding safety and justice for the victim.
A man threw acid at Mahnoor Nasir at her hospital in the southern city of Quetta on Saturday, causing burns to seven percent of her body, according to the provincial chief minister’s office.
Officers killed the suspected perpetrator, Humayun Shah, a lift operator at the medical facility, at a bus station as he tried to escape, authorities said.
Nasir was receiving specialized treatment in Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi and may require 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.
