Recite Quran or be marked absent for the day: Pak hospital to non-Muslim staff

Lahore: The administration of a government-run hospital in Lahore forces its non-Muslim staffers to either recite verses from the Holy Quran at morning assembly or be marked absent for the day, a Pakistan media report said on Wednesday.

The issue came to light when Mian Mir Hospital, run by the City District Government Lahore, Medical Superintendent Dr Muhammad Sarfraz allegedly slapped a Christian paramedical staffer for not attending the assembly, the Express Tribune reported.

Following the incident, all paramedical staff protested against the superintendent and other hospital administration by shutting down all functions of the medical facility.

"This act of the MS is a violation of the Constitution of Pakistan," a Christian paramedical staffer, Marshal, was quoted as saying by the paper.

He asked religious scholars to sort out the issue as the hospital administration was pressurising them to leave their jobs.

"It is professional workplace; I don't know why the administration is forcing our Christian brothers to do this. This is totally unacceptable," said another staff Fahad Ahmed.

Meanwhile, City District Government Lahore Health CEO Dr Muhammad Saeed said a high-level committee had been formed to look into the matter and a strict departmental inquiry would be initiated against anyone found guilty.

The hospital was named after Sufi saint Hazrat Mian Mir who rose to prominence during the time of Mughal emperor Jehangir. The saint himself was a big proponent of interfaith harmony.