The missing doctor from Abbottabad District Hospital, Varda Mushtaq, has been murdered; her body was found on Monday after 4 days. The recovery of Varda Mushtaq’s body has sparked a wave of grief, anger, and protest in Abbottabad, who was allegedly found murdered four days after her disappearance over a dispute concerning valuables left in trust.
Dr. Varda Mushtaq, a medical officer at the District Headquarters Hospital Abbottabad, went missing during her duty on December 4. After a formal complaint was lodged by her father, the Cantt and Mirpur police initiated a search.
The investigation revealed that before traveling to Dubai to meet her husband, the doctor had entrusted 67 tolas of gold jewelry to a friend, , for safekeeping and had obtained a written receipt for the transaction. Upon her return, Dr. Varda Mushtaq’s attempts to retrieve her property were allegedly met with delaying tactics.
On the day of her disappearance, the doctor was allegedly summoned on the pretext of returning the gold. Authorities state that she was also made to sign checks worth over ten million rupees before being taken to an upscale area of the city and handed over to hired killers allegedly associated with a drug cartel.
Police had taken the friend and other suspects into custody on the day of the doctor’s disappearance. Following their interrogation, law enforcement officials today recovered the deceased doctor’s body from the Lari Banota area of the nearby tourist spot, Thandiani. This location is reportedly the native village of a drug dealer.
The recovery of the body prompted an immediate public outcry. The Doctors Association, along with other organizations and citizens, staged a demonstration at Fawara Chowk, blocking the main Karakoram Highway. The protesters chanted slogans demanding the immediate arrest of all culprits and condemned the police’s slow response during the four days the doctor was missing.