RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, Senator Sirajul Haq, has said that the government could not be allowed to ruin the small business of the common people only to please the multinational companies.

He was talking to the media after a meeting with a delegation of the Punjab Chemist Retailers Association, which called on him at Mansoora, to express their serious reservations with regard to the Drugs Act of 1970. The 25 member delegation included the Association president Ishaq Mayo and General Secretary Ghulam Murtaza.

Sirajul Haq said that the medical stores running for the last 50 years were being closed and there was a calculated attempt to allow a few chosen people have monopoly in the business of drugs and medicines.

He said there was already a monopoly of a few families in the business of sugar, iron and steel, poultry and fertilizer and certain elements were keen to control the field of pharmacy but it would be sheer injustice.

The JI chief said there were no two opinions that those trading in spurious drugs must be dealt with an iron hand as they did not deserve any leniency.