MULTAN, Feb 14th: Though Police force did not let the hundreds of drug dealers, medical stores’ owners and distributors of allopathic, herbal,Homeo drugs to organise arally on the second day of their protest against drug act 2017. Police confined themto their market However they staged a demonstration with the support of other traders.which was led by centralleader of Traders Khawaja Muhammad Shafiq, Khawaja Suleman Siddiqui,Sultan Mehmood Malik, Muhammad Akhtar Butt .They vowed to continue their struggle forthe cause of pharma industry and to save the business of thousands of people. Later they prayed for the martyrs of Lahore Tragedy and paid homage to police officers. They rejected the proposed amendments in Drug Act bringing strict penalties and heavy fines for sale of fake or substandard medicines. All the small and big roads posing hardships for commuters and pedestrians.Meanwhile, associations of drug stores and distributors observed strike and shut down their businesses whole day secondday of their protest The protestors while holding placards and banners chanted slogans against Chief Minister Punjab, Chief Secretary, and Health Secretary and Government .They said that they would close down their businesses if the amendments were put in place.Explaining the concerns of the distributors and medical stores’ owners, Muhammad Akhtar butt, president of druggist & chemists union, said that the proposed amendment would make sale of expired, misbranded, and substandard medicines a crime having harsh punishments.He said that under the proposed law, the seller of expired, misbranded, and substandard medicines could face jail for six months without bail. The sellers and manufacturers could face from one to five years jail term and fine from Rs10 million to Rs50 million if convicted.He said the punishment was harsh and the fine was high. “The drug dealers and medical stores owners have objections over the punishment for the sellers and distributors,” he said. He said we were all human beings and human error could not be rule out.He said that they were not against the anti-spurious drug campaign but the government should not introduce harsh punishment for the crime not committed by the distributors or sellers. On the other hand, the citizens, who stuck in traffic rush, also lashed out at the Punjab government for creating troubles for citizens. The said the government should avoid locking horns with drug dealers and medical stores’ owners and should review its policies.
The business Community of Southern Punjab on Tuesday vehemently condemned the bomb blast in Lahore resulting in loss of precious human lives and termed the terrorist act as a coward and brutal.President of Multan Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MCCI) Khawaja Jalaluddin Roomi said that martyrdom of high police officials and the common people in blast in front of Punjab Assembly was the most heinous act and those who planned and executed it should be ferreted out and punished.Roomi said that terrorism is a curse which had harmed and paid tributes to law enforcing agencies which were launching operatios against the terrorists.He said that " tragedy has struck Lahore. Alongside innocent civilians, we have lost two of our own brave police officers Captain Mubeen and Zahid Gondal. They were good men who died serving and protecting the people of this great country".
