PM's political secretary demands inquiry into criminal negligence leading to son's injury

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister's political secretary, Dr Asif Kirmani has demanded of the Aitchison College, Lahore for holding an inquiry into the incident in which his son got seriously injured.

In a letter addressed to the Principal of Aitchison College dated November 1, which was released to media on Monday, Dr Kirmani termed the incident as 'criminal negligence and administrative failure of the institution', where another student seriously injured his son at the classroom.

According to Dr Asif Kirmani, his son Syed Aftab Saeed Kirmani, a student of class K-5M at junior school of Aitchison, was handed over to his mother in a serious injured condition at school on the morning of October 28.

He said Aftab's mother found his son's right wrist covered with pressure bandage and rushed him to a hospital.

Dr Kirmani said a surgeon at Hameed Latif Hospital told him that Aftab will be operated under general anesthesia as the wound laceration was very deep, bleeding and required immediate plastic surgery.

Aftab was later operated under general anesthesia at the said hospital and the treatment of laceration of right wrist was performed in layers.

Giving details about the facts, Dr Kirmani said he came to know that on the day of unfortunate incidence, his son after attending the library period, went to washroom before the starting of next period.

On his return from the washroom, one unruly student named Fahar Bharwana, forcibly closed and kept pushing the classroom door from the inside of classroom thus forcibly obstructing the entry of Aftab into the classroom.

Due to this continuous and forcible obstruction by Fahar, the glass of the door broke and pierced Aftab's right wrist that resulted in deep lacerated wound and profuse bleeding.

He mentioned that there was no class teacher present at the time of injury and was later informed by the students.

Dr Kirmani said the class teacher took Aftab to the school dispensary and then was sent to school hospital as the dispensary could not handle such serious injury.

He said it was irony of fate and height of criminal negligence and irresponsibility that Aftab was sent to the school hospital with a school van driver and no responsible staff member even bothered to accompany a bleeding child, which he said, speaks volumes about the state of affairs at the institution.

He said Aftab had to miss his term exams due to the injury inflicted upon him by an unruly student.

Dr Kirmani said he met the acting principal on October 29th and was shocked to learn that he was totally ignorant about this incidence.

He expressed his disappointment that nobody from the school contacted him or his wife to ask about the well being of their son and termed it a "classic example of indifferent attitude". He said it was only after his meeting with the acting principal that his wife received a phone call in the afternoon by the class teacher inquiring after Aftab's health.

He said he also met the headmistress of junior section on October 30th and found it very disappointing to know that the parents of the unruly student were not summoned or notified about Aftab's injury caused at the hands of their son and no disciplinary action was taken against that student till to date.

He complained that the headmistress had been misinformed about the incidence and the facts were being concealed in order to hush-up the matter as "the unruly student belongs to some so called influential public servant which does not impress me at all".

He said it was the prime responsibility of the administration of the junior section to have called 1122 etc, in order to shift his bleeding son to some good hospital.

He mentioned that Aftab Kirmani comes of an educated, widely respected and historian family. His grandfather Syed Ahmed Saeed Kirmani senior advocate of the Supreme Court, at present 90 years of age, an old Muslim Leaguer who has worked under the direct guidance of Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Pakistan movement and served this country as federal minister and ambassador. He was also elected president Lahore high court bar in the year 1980.

In view of the seriousness of the matter, Dr Kirmani demanded of the Principal of Aitchison College to hold a fair and free inquiry into the incidence, summon the parents of the unruly student Fahar Bharwana, include him (Dr Kirmani) into the inquiry and his letter may be considered as his preliminary statement for the inquiry.