LARKANA, Jan 4: Retailers and whole-salers of medicines closed their business here on Sunday after a raid on a van supplying drugs to a store. The raid was conducted in the presence of the Larkana taluka Nazim and the Market SHO and medicines , believed to be sub-standard, were seized. The van driver escaped.

Liaquat Shaikh, who deals in medicines, told this correspondent that the medicines were not only without valid bills but were also sub-standard. Riaz Shaikh, to whose store the van was supplying medicines from the Al-Imran Medicos, Sukkur, said that they purchased medicines from other cities at a higher profit percentage, which were denied to them by dealers in Larkana.

District council health sub-committee chief Khair Mohammad Shaikh alleged that the taluka Nazim had ordered the raid due to professional rivalry as he and his brother, Liaquat Shaikh, also dealt in medicines.

Taluka Nazim Nazeer Ahmad and the chairman of the sub-committee also exchanged hot words over the issue. The rival parties approached the Market police station to lodge FIRs.

The SHO said the van and the medicines' stock had been confiscated and the matter would be resolved after the opinion of the district drug inspector. The business of low-quality medicines is on the rise here as companies making these medicines offer lucrative profit to medical store owners.

Larkana Phrama Club office-bearer Hassan Halepoto said sub-standard medicines were available in the market at lower rates. The taluka Nazim, his brother and pharma club office-bearers have been demanding that the supply of medicines without invoice numbers should be stopped.

RICE INDUSTRY: The Sindh-Balochistan Rice Millers and Traders Association has demanded that the Pakistan Rice Board should be activated to address problems of the rice industry.

Giving details of a meeting of the association's general body here on Sunday, its general-secretary, Akbar Shaikh, said stakeholders should evolve strategy to look into rice-related issues.

The meeting, presided over by SBRMTA president Gada Hussain Mahisar, expressed concern that the rice industry was being ignored despite the government recovered millions of rupees in shape of tax from the industry.

Sindh and Balochistan annually produce 2,200,000 tons of rice and the government earns $250 million every year from rice export. Mr Mahisar underlined the need for establishing a seed-processing unit in Sindh and modernizing mills so as to meet challenges of the World Trade Organization regime. He said the availability of certified seed would also give a boost to the industry.

He proposed that stakeholders should hold regular meetings. He also expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the province.

Association vice-presidents Qamaruddain Shaikh and Nawaz Memon and others complained that Hesco issued inflated and detection bills due to which several mills switched over to diesel engines and disconnected their power supply. The meeting also demanded the withdrawal of market committee taxes.