Pakistan-educated consultant doctor hid convictions for stalking and threatening to kill so he could get NHS post in UK

Published: 15:16, 9 July 2026 | Updated: 15:22, 9 July 2026 A Pakistan-educated consultant doctor who hid convictions for stalking and threatening to kill so he could get an NHS post in the UK has been struck off. Dr Salah-ud-Din Taj 'intentionally misled' the General Medical Council (GMC) by declining to mention any of his 14 previous convictions when he applied to work in the UK, a panel from the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service has found. While working in Australia, he was sentenced to a community correction order for a year, which included 150 hours of supervised unpaid work. When Dr Taj applied to work in the UK in 2018, he was asked if he had any prior convictions or cautions but untruthfully answered 'no'. He then lied again to North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust to secure himself a job a year later.  Dr Taj went on to claim his convictions were not 'serious' enough to mention when he moved to the UK, adding he was 'confused' by the question on the form. The doctor, who was previously given a one-year community correction order, has been struck off after his crimes were discovered by the panel. Dr Taj qualified from the University of the Punjab in Pakistan in 1996 and worked as a medical registrar in Australia between 2007 and 2017. A Pakistan-educated consultant doctor who practised at Lincoln County Hospital, pictured, hid convictions for stalking and threatening to kill so he could get an NHS post in the UK  But while there, the doctor was convicted of 14 offences, that took place over four months, at Magistrates Court of Victoria in Melbourne. Dr Taj said he did not declare the conviction when applying to work in the UK because it 'had not involved any physical element, did not touch upon his clinical practice and did not result in a custodial sentence'. But in the North Cumbria application, the doctor had written a note on the form to let the hospital know about a 'minor incident' between himself and his victim in Australia. Even here, Dr Taj gave inaccurate information as he 'consistently sought to minimise' the offences he had committed, the panel found. From 2022, Dr Taj practised as a Locum Consultant in Acute Medicine at Lincoln County Hospital. His convictions were discovered by the GMC and an investigation launched, which discovered Dr Taj had also lied about exclusively practicing in Australia between 2007 and 2017 when he had actually taken breaks and gone to Pakistan. A panel from the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service found Dr Taj could not remain on the register in light of his dishonesty. It concluded: 'The Tribunal considered that even a lay person, with little understanding of the law, would understand that a conviction for 14 offences, spanning a period of four months was serious and should be declared to a regulator. 'Dr Taj was an experienced professional who had been through registration in Australia, where disclosure of his conviction had initially not been made.  Dr Taj qualified from the University of the Punjab in Pakistan in 1996 and returned to the country numerous times during his stint in Australia. He has now been struck off 'As a result, Dr Taj should have been fully aware of the importance of providing full disclosure of his conviction.' The panel added: 'The Tribunal was satisfied that Dr Taj's supplying of inaccurate information with regard to his employment history was not simply a mistake but intentionally misleading. 'The Tribunal concluded that given the seriousness of its findings and in light of the Guidance, the sanction of erasure was appropriate and proportionate in this case. 'The Tribunal was satisfied that any lesser sanction would fail to maintain public confidence in the profession, and promote and maintain proper professional standards and conduct for the members of the profession.'