ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Thursday ordered the Lahore High Court (LHC) registrar office to schedule a hearing for a case filed by a retired army officer against former army chief General (r) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in relation to an alleged medical scam.
In the petition, Lt Col (r) Inamul Rahiem has accused Kiyani of shutting down a legally established Armed Forces Medical Store Depot to instead manufacturing, supplying and procuring substandard and counterfeit medicines besides for “improperly established depots”.
The Ministry of Defence, General (r) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Lt-General (r) Athar have been made the respondents in the case.
The petitioner has appealed to the court to order a complete audit of these medicines which were tendered, purchased and procured at 27 Combined Medical Hospitals (CMH).
Earlier the Supreme Court (SC) registrar had refused to take up the petition over a few objections after which the retired colonel had appealed against the registrar’s decision.
The CJP while hearing the appeal against registrar had directed the LHC registrar to fix a date for the petition’s hearing in court. “I am confident that the learned LHC court shall decide the matter efficiently,” he said while adding that the case is not covered under Article 184(3).
“During his [Athar’s] stay as corps commander Karachi, he came across certain medicine manufacturers and knew their business technique and after his retirement from [the] armed forces he decided to set up a business of medicines,” states the petition while further adding that Athar had also solicited former Lt Col Naveed’s help in regard to the illegal business.
In 2009, a sample of the tablet Tinize manufactured by Medizan Laboratories (Pvt) Ltd was sent to the Drug Testing Laboratory Punjab; the results of which confirmed that the medicine which had been supplied to the DHQ Hospital Rawalpindi as well as, the market, was second-rate.
The drug inspector looking not the matter also revealed that Medizan had issued a warranty to Foray Pharma in 2008.
