District Food Inspector Abdul Aziz along with his team visited a number of hotels and restaurants in Murree two days back (on Monday), to collect samples of foodstuff and drinking water. The owners of businesses along with members of Anjuman-e-Tajiran in Murree, however, stopped the food inspector and his team from collecting samples, saying that they had never allowed anyone to collect samples from them in the past nor they would allow him to do so.

Abdul Aziz informed the police in Murree of the incident but they declined to take any action against the businessmen as has been mentioned by the food inspector in a complaint submitted to the office of District Health Officer on Wednesday.

Abdul Aziz submitted in his report that the local police in Murree conveyed to him that the local businessmen had strong backup of local politicians and hence, they were unable to take any action against them.

Last year in July, a tehsil food inspector Mohammad Mubashir collected food samples from a few restaurants and local hotels in Murree but later he was attacked by the businessmen who snatched the samples back threatening him to leave the station. Mubashir had informed the deputy district health officer in Murree of the incident who lodged a complaint with the ASP in Murree requesting him to lodge an FIR against the persons nominated by Mubashir. However, nothing has yet been done.

District Health Officer Dr. Khalid Randhawa, when contacted by ‘The News’ on Wednesday, said that he has yet not read the complaint/report submitted by the food inspector. He, however, admitted that last year, Mubashir had lodged a written complaint with the police to take action against those who attacked him and stopped him from performing his official duty. “The FIR has not been lodged as yet in that case,” he admitted.