Posts in category: Business News

By Shahid Aslam

February 03, 2018

LAHORE: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has approached the FIA with a request to take action against a pharmaceutical company allegedly involved in manufacturing and selling drugs illegally, The News has learnt.

Sources within DRAP told this correspondent that with the approval of CEO, Deputy Director (Legal Affairs) Aamir Latif wrote a letter to FIA for action against M/s Everest Pharma for allegedly manufacturing and selling over 20 drugs in contraventions to the Drug Act 1976 and DRAP Act 2012.

The Authority claimed that the Everest Pharma was involved in multiple crimes, including importing raw material through illegal means, manufacturing and selling of unregistered/spurious drugs and online selling of unregistered/spurious sex inducing tablet Everlong 60 mg through www.sehat.com.pk

The Everest Pharma is owned by Chaudhry Muhammad Usman, brother-in-law of a serving regional police officer in Punjab. In its letter, the DRAP stated investigation had revealed that M/s Everest was manufacturing not less than 12 spurious and unregistered drugs including Everlong 60 mg tablet, Penboll Plus 300 mg/100 mg, Sankol Plus 200 mg/2 mg, Syrup MTD, Chill tablet, M Plus tablet, Samprid tablet, Capsule Reap, Link tablet, Capsule Silk, Leena tablet and Esper 40/30 in the country.

Furthermore, the DRAP’s investigation showed that the pharmaceutical company was also manufacturing as many as 10 unregistered and spurious drugs bearing fictitious registration numbers including Samprid capsules (Registration No 070209), Moon B Syrup (Registration No 0681713), Moon B tablet (Registration No 068705), Eversafe syrup (Registration No 070252), Eversafe tablet (Registration No 070253), Piratiz tablet (Registration No 068766), Meek tablet (Registration No 068730), Cardol tablet (Registration No 072074), Turn tablet (Registration No 070165) and Hyd tablet (Registration No. 068765).

The federal and provincial drug inspectors have also been communicated the same with directions to take legal actions as per the information, it added. “Foregoing in view, appropriate action may be initiated against owner of M/s Everest Pharma, Ch Muhammad Usman for contraventions of Drug Act 1976 and Drug Act 2012,” the letter reads.

Furthermore, the Authority made it clear that the Drug Registration Board of DRAP in its 263rd meeting held on 29th and 30th November 2016 had declared that application of registration of the tablet “Everlong” was neither presented before it nor it approved. “The DRAP has already declared the purported registration letter of the tablet Everlong as void an initio vide letter no 8-8/2016/Reg-III (M-263) dated 11th January 2017.”

It may be relevant to mention that the FIA and federal as well as provincial inspectors have registered cases against the company in the recent past for its alleged illegal manufacturing and selling of the medicines. Minister for National Health Service, Regulations and Coordination Saira Afzal Tara had also informed the Senate in writing during its 248th Session held on May 19, 2016 that from 2015 to 2017, the DRAP, FIA and drugs inspectors conducted six raids against the Everest Pharma in various parts of the country and seized its illegal manufactured drugs.

The authorities conducted raids on February 15 and 16, 2016 from M/s Hafeez Sons Medicine Company, opposite DHQ Hospital Lahore Sargodha Road Sheikhupura, on Nov 26, 2015 in Sargodha on Nov 24, 2015 in Multan and on March 1, 2015.

Similarly, the DRAP and FIA have jointly raided at the factory of the Everest Pharma in Kahuta Industrial Area during 2015 and sealed it for illegal production of medicines. When contacted, the owner of Everest Pharma confirmed to The News that DRAP had got cases registered against his company in the past, but claimed that it was done allegedly to facilitate their competitors. “The Authority took actions against my company with a mala fide intention but later on we succeed in courts,” he maintained.

“Two registered FIRs by the FIA have already been quashed by the courts,” Usman said, adding, “Everest isn’t involved in any illegal manufacturing and selling of drugs in the country.”

Responding to a question, he said a team of DRAP visited his factory only a couple of days back and expressed their ‘satisfaction’ over the manufacturing of drugs there. About cancellation of registration of certain medicines, he claimed that those medicines are still very much registered.

DRAP’s Aamir Latif on Thursday confirmed to this correspondent that they had forwarded a request to FIA for taking action against the Everest. To a question why DRAP is referring a matter to FIA instead of taking action on its own, the official stated that the Authority had been taking actions against all such illegal activities but “we also take along other agencies like FIA to fulfil other legal formalities”.

Without confirming what actions DRAP took against its official (s) who issued the alleged fake registration letter to M/s Everest Pharma, Aamir stated that to make the process of drug registration more stringent, three signatories had been put in place. He also refuted the claim of the owner of the Company that DRAP was involved in any kind of victimisation or it was taking actions against it with any mala fide intention.

By Shahid Aslam

February 12, 2018

LAHORE: The unfortunate incident of a boat sinking in which majority of the people out of the total 90, including over a dozen Pakistanis, died in the deep sea off the coast of Libya has left many questions unanswered regarding Pakistan’s fight against illegal human trafficking.

The loss of precious lives of Pakistanis while in search of better living is an eye opener for the authorities concerned that the ugly business of human trafficking in Pakistan is flourishing instead of being controlled.

Hardly a couple of months earlier, 20 innocent Pakistanis were murdered cold bloodedly in Turbat when they were on their way to dreamy lands of Europe, choosing the illegal land route via Iran, Turkey and Greece.

According to data from Frontex (official European Border and Coast Guard Agency), around 7,000 Pakistanis entered Europe illegally in 2017. Due to multiple issues, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the year 2017could manage to arrest only 11 out of 92 most-wanted human traffickers due to which Pakistan remained at the Tier-2 Watch List of the world ranking since again for not fully meeting the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking. Pakistan is facing the ranking since 2014.

The US State Department every year ranks each country according to its efforts in dealing the human trafficking issue. Though FIA, the premier body to check/ensure travel of passengers from and to Pakistan, has taken many steps to control human trafficking in the country, but because of several issues, the illegal business is still going on. Among the issues FIA faces are shortage of human resource, infrastructure, weak laws, etc.

For example, the Gujranwala division, particularly the districts of Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot and Mandi Bahauddin, are the hub of this illegal trade of honey dreams for money means but the FIA with just over a dozen investigators can’t fight this heinous crime spread in the this large area and population. Gujranwala, Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin, are hotbed of human trafficking and the FIA only has a total sanctioned strength of 60 officers/officials there. Over 500 inquiries and 1100 FIRs are currently under investigation with the districts. Approximate annual registration of inquires are over 2,400 and over 1100 FIRs in these offices in addition to other functions and responsibilities. Similarly, FIA, without its own buildings both in Gujranwala and Gujrat, is fighting this menace from rented buildings. Surprisingly, FIA Gujrat is running its day-to-day affairs from the building of a local police station.

On the other hand, over a dozen identified dead bodies of Pakistanis in the boat sinking tragedy; six belonged to three villages in Dinga city, Gujrat, alone. Out of those six, four belonged to a single family of village Rajo Bhand only. They included Ismael, 32, his wife Azmat Bibi, 29, his son Saad, 05 and his one and half months old daughter Fatima. The other two Zabi Ullah and Kamran were residents of Khori and Noon village respectively. Rehmat, bother of deceased Ismael, was also on the boat but survived fortunately.

Talking to The News, FIA Punjab Director Dr Usman Anwar said there were certain issues the agency was facing, even then they were doing a good job to fight human trafficking. He said after having deputed a liaison officer in Oman, appointment of two more officers in Turkey and Greece had been requested to the government for handling issues of Pakistani migrants.

To a question, the FIA officer said that on the directions of Supreme Court which is hearing a suo moto of Pakistanis’ killings in boat sinking tragedy, FIA officials had met the Punjab government officials to identify land for the establishment of its offices. He said like Gujrat, more sub-circles of FIA would be established in Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot and Sargodha.

Dr Usman Anwar also said that not a single Pakistani who died in Libya tragedy travelled from the country illegally. Intending migrants leave Pakistan on legal documents and reach Dubai to go onward to Libya or Malaysia.

“Visa stickers for Libya are easily available for such aspirants from Dubai and after dodging immigration officials while showing return ticket to Pakistan, such people catch a flight by showing the visa sticker and reach Libya.” After reaching Libya, he added, they managed boat travels to reach European countries.

Moreover, the FIA officers said no proper law to control the human smuggling had been enacted as Emigration Ordinance of 1979 was being used for these crimes but it did not define human trafficking properly. “Insufficient punishments in the relevant laws such as Emigration Ordinance and other special laws related to the matter read as “Imprisonment or fine”, which favour the accused involved in this heinous crime”, the FIA officer said, adding a special law to control this crime was proposed with the help of UNODC in 2013 which was still pending with the ministry concerned.

Responding to another query, the FIA Punjab director said, “This heinous crime could only be controlled after we addressed push/ pull factors, including education, unemployment, poverty, social equity, equal justice and better earning opportunities. He also stated that awareness campaigns should also be run by the government highlighting the dangers of such illegal travels.