Daily Times

LAHORE: A large number of homeopaths, owners of pharmaceutical companies, lawyers and pharmacists staged a protest in favour of Pakistan’s alternative medicines industry outside the Lahore Press Club (LPC) on Friday.

The protesters were also carrying banners, posters and placards with slogans inscribed on them in support of their demands.

Speaking on this occasion, Pakistan Drug Lawyers Forum President Dr Noor Muhammad said that there was no registration of alternative medicines in the world over. “But in Pakistan, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan, who has been declared the most corrupt department of Pakistan, has started enlistment of alternative medicines, which is the biggest fraud in the country,” he said, adding: “If the registration of alternative medicines was required than why the DRAP was not registering the alternative medicines.”

“This fraud is designed by DRAP Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Aslam Afghani and Pricing Director Amanullah in connivance with the Club of 50 to eradicate quality and economical indigenous alternative medicines from Pakistan, thus flooded the market with extremely expensive low quality medicines,” he said, adding that the indigenous alternative medicines of sub-continent were famous across the world for thousands of years. “Pakistan’s alternative medicine is being exported to US, Canada, Europe and Australia and earning foreign exchange of billions of rupees for Pakistan, but allopathic medicine was not being exported to these developed countries,” he maintained.

He added that the DRAP CEO allegedly got approval of two companies – Otsuka Indonesia and OtsukaThailand – to mint billion of rupees by importing medicines from Indonesia and Thialand.

“The DRAP CEO is wickedly misguiding the Punjab government to shutdown hundreds of years old alternative medicine producers to promote Otsuka’s expensive medicine. Mushroom alternative business has been started by Club of 50 and they are making billions of rupees in connivance with the DRAP and Health Ministry, and these departments are trying to shutdown real alternative medicine producers of Pakistan to establish business of Club of 50,” he added.

Hakeem Nisar Bazmi said, “Afghani and Amanullah were resisting price fixation of alternative medicines to loot poor Pakistanis through the Club of 50, as they are selling same herbal medicines at ten time higher prices than the Pakistani manufacturers.” He added that DRAP and Health Department was destroying the exports of Pakistan and increasing imports.

Dr Mahar said that sealing of medicine factories and harassment of manufacturers was illegal and unlawful. “We will go to court of law and ask for legal action against all those involved in this act.”

They urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan, chief of army staff, prime minister, president and chief ministers to immediately dissolve the DRAP and dismiss State Minister for National Health Services and Regulation Saira Afzal Tarar, and start criminal proceeding against Aslam Afghani and Amanullah by making joint investigation team.