Punjab Drugs Act 2017: Chemists stage sit-in outside Punjab Assembly

LAHORE: The agitating chemists’ protest to press for the withdrawal of ‘controversial amendments’ in the Punjab Drugs Act 2017 turned into a sit-in on the Mall Road in front of Punjab Assembly, the talks with the stakeholders are still in progress.

The medical stores’ owners across Punjab have kept their businesses closed to protest against, what they called, ‘draconian laws’ to victimise the manufacturers and traders of medicines. The ongoing strike has turned out to be a worst nightmare for the poor patients who are in a double jeopardy due to non-availability of medicines in the market and the availability of government-supplied substandard medicines in the public sector hospitals.

Earlier, the manufacturers, chemists and distributors of pharmaceutical products under the banner of Joint Action Committee (JAC) – comprising Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA), All Pakistan Chemists Retailers Association, Wholesale Medicine Council (Lohari Gate Medicine Market) and others – gathered at Nasir Bagh and then marched towards the Chairing Cross.

The rally threw traffic out of gear that caused immense difficulties for commuters. The traffic was, however, diverted to adjoining roads, with many of them partly open for being under-construction, which also got clogged due to the load.

The Mall Road is closed for traffic due to the sit-in which also put the lives of so many people at risk, considering the horrific flashback of deadly suicide attack on the protesting chemists on this very place in February last year. The security personnel are, however, on the alert to provide foolproof security to the protesters. The opposition parties’ leaders including Mian Mahmood-ur-Rasheed and Shaukat Basra came to express their solidarity with the protesters. The chemists and manufacturers’ leaders including Hamid Raza, Nisar Chaudhry, Ishaq Mayo and others have demanded immediate withdrawal of all ‘controversial amendments’ and restore the Drugs Act 1976 in its original form.