Druggists to go on strike against imposition of drug ordinance

Rawalpindi
Chemists and druggists have decided to launch a protest campaign all over the province if the Punjab government does not accept their demands, which include withdrawal of the Drug Ordinance within next week.
The plan of protest was announced by Pakistan Chemists and Druggists Association (PCDA) Chairman Zafar Bakhtawari along with Secretary General Dr. Abdul Qayyum and Secretary Sheikh Mohammad Ali while observing a token strike against the imposition of Drug Ordinance enforced by the Punjab government one month back.
Bakhtawari and Dr. Abdul Qayyum alleged that in the garb of abolishing the sale of fake drugs, the Punjab government has implemented legislation through an ordinance which has made drug inspectors the most powerful authority to decide cases of fake medicines. Whereas druggists, chemists community and pharma industry have been made to suffer a lot at their hands.
This is totally unjust decision and is not acceptable to them, they said.
According to them, on the demands of representatives of druggists and chemists as well as pharma associations regarding withdrawal of the ordinance, the Punjab government had formed a 10-member technical committee for finding a solution.
The report of the findings was to be submitted in one week according to the directions of the Punjab chief minister, however, more than 10 days have lapsed but the committee has done nothing, they alleged.
Pakistan Chemists and Druggists Association Chairman Zafar Bakhtawari announced clearly that from Tuesday (today), druggists and chemists as well as pharma industry
representatives would launch a token strike
all over the province during which they
would observe one hour boycott of work
and arrange protest walks for three to
four hours. Similarly, the chemists and
druggists community would set up protest camps in all districts and divisions of the province to mark their concern over the ordinance.
Zafar Bakhtawari informed that besides this a countrywide protest campaign would be launched and a strategy would be evolved in All-Punjab Druggists and Chemists Convention to be held in Lahore on September 4.