Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) Commander (Brig) Shahid Afzal said that small traders dealing in laboratory chemicals do not need No-Objection Certificates (NoC) to undertake business transactions, but they must have adequately maintained input and output records.
Afzal was addressing members of Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (LCCI) Standing Committee on Educational Equipment and Laboratory Chemicals on Saturday. LCCI Senior Vice President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, Vice-President Mian Abuzar Shad and Convener of the Committee GR Siddique also spoke at the occasion.
He said that harassment of laboratory chemical traders would not be tolerated at any cost and any such issue must be reported to the ANF. Furthermore, he said, the ANF was deliberated to direct and assist people, not to cause them problems.
He added that the ANF operates in accordance with rules and regulations set at a United Nation’s convention on sale of chemicals. Moreover, he said the convention called for proper record keeping to avoiding any mishandling of chemicals.
Irfan Sheikh said that the LCCI appreciates ANF’s Drug Free City project. He said that the steps taken to improve this situation, including the ban on certain chemicals for open sale and the introduction of new procedures for the purchase banned chemicals, had badly affected their sector. He said that the chemicals including HCl, H2SO4 and KMnO4 were used in educational institutes as well as a number of industries. These chemicals are freely traded and used in other countries, but their ban in Pakistan had resulted in huge problems for countless individuals in this sector.
Furthermore, he said, that it was not feasible for each customer to acquire NOC for the purchase of such chemicals required in small quantities. He said that proper record keeping was one of the solutions. Moreover, traders of these chemicals are fully aware of their risks, and have assured the LCCI that they will not supply these chemicals without a written order from a reliable institution.
Mian Abuzar said that if a businessman fulfilled all necessary prerequisites including the LCCI membership certificate, NTN number and Sales Tax registration, he should be allowed to transact these chemicals.
NoC not needed to transact lab chemicals: ANF commander
