Doctor relives father's fate after Bhutto attack

Sun Dec 30, 2007

By Kamran Haider

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A grim twist of fate saw Pakistani doctor Mussadiq Khan struggling to save the life of a Pakistani leader struck down by an assassin, just as Khan's father had done 56 years ago.

Khan battled in vain to save the life of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto when she was brought to his hospital in Rawlapindi on Thursday following a gun and bomb attack as she left an election rally at a city park.

Khan's doctor father, Sadiq Khan, was on duty at his Rawalpindi hospital in October 1951 when Pakistan's first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, was brought in after he was gunned down at a rally in the same park where Bhutto was attacked.

Liaquat Ali Khan was also killed and the park was later named Liaquat Bagh after him. Bagh means garden in Urdu.

"It's God's will," Khan told Reuters when asked about the coincidence of father and son attending to two Pakistani leaders attacked in the same place.

Khan said Bhutto was almost dead when she was brought in.

"She was not breathing. She had no blood pressure, no heartbeat. We did a full resuscitation. We worked hard but unfortunately we could not revive her."

"I did my best but I didn't succeed. What can I say? ... She was a great leader. She was our leader."

Khan's two sons are also doctors. He hopes there will be no more coincidences: "God forbid it doesn't happen to them."

* Dr. Mussadiq Khan is also the Principal of Rawalpindi Medical College

Source: Reuters