An official of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has written a letter to the Health Secretary alleging that the chief executive officer of the authority is running a benami pharmaceutical company, which is an open conflict of interest.
DRAP Chief Executive Officer Asim Rauf said the officer was used to filing frivolous complaints and the authority has decided to take strict action against him.
Sajid Shah, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Health Services, said that in the past, most of DRAP’s CEOs have been accused of such allegations, but none of them have been proved.
Dr. Muhammad Aleem Akhtar, deputy director of DRAP in Quetta, claimed that the chief executive officer had arrested BPS in 2002. I have committed several irregularities since my appointment as deputy drug controller in 18.
Aleem Akhtar claimed in his letter that according to the rules, government officers cannot get leave of study without completing five years of service, but Asim Rauf went to the United States on study leave (PhD) in 2004, just two years after his appointment, which was against the Civil Servant Study Rules 1996.
A copy of the letter has also been sent to the prime minister and several state institutions claiming that the chief executive officer returned in 2009 without completing his PhD degree despite receiving all the perks for five years.
The DRAP officer alleged that the CHIEF executive officer was running MS Zeta Pharmaceuticals at Industrial Sunder Estate in Lahore which led to conflict of interest as per Section 18 of the DRAP Act 2012.
The documents attached to the letter claim that Asim Rauf established a pharmaceutical company from October 16, 2010 and its ownership (benami transaction) was first transferred in the name of his brother Amir Wali Rauf, who transferred the company from his brother’s name to his father-in-law Chaudhry Atiq Qamar on September 3, 2018.
The letter further claimed that there is another partner named Zahid Masood Nasir in the company, but another clause was added in the agreement which stated that in case of death of the first partner (Zahid Masood Nasir), the property would be transferred to the second partner who was the father-in-law of the CHIEF Executive Officer.
The Health Secretary was requested to initiate an inquiry into the matter so that the possibility of corruption and irregularities in DRAP could be eliminated.
When contacted, the DRAP chief told Dawn that the complainant was used to filing such applications as he was earlier in Quetta University and had filed similar petitions against the administration.
He said the same person had also filed a petition against dr Aslam Afghani, former head of DRAP.
They have also filed petitions against some other DRAP officials, including Dr Obaid, we have decided to take legal action against them as they make allegations without any evidence.
When Dr Asim Rauf was asked about the allegations, he said that all of them are baseless.
