PESHAWAR, Sept 8: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday expressed concern over supply of substandard medicines to prisons across the province and summoned the director general of health services.

A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and Justice Malik Azmatullah fixed Oct 18 for the next hearing with the direction that the director general should appear in person and apprise the court about the actual state of things prevalent in jails and remedial measures taken by the government.

The chief justice had taken suo motu notice of the issue a few months ago after visiting several prisons in the province. The chief justice had assigned the federal and provincial drug inspectors to take samples of medicines from different prisons and test the same. Later on, it transpired after examination that several of the medicines were substandard.

The chief justice observed that recently he had visited the Timergara prison in Lower Dir where the concerned doctor informed him that the medicines provided for the prisoners had no efficacy.

The chief justice took exception to the issue and observed: “What is happening? Are they enemies, aliens or sub human beings that they are supplied substandard medicines?”

The deputy attorney general, Mohammad Iqbal Mohmand, and the additional advocate general, Ubaid Raziq, stated that medicines were supplied to the prisons by the MCC (Medicines Coordination Committee), which was responsible for purchase of medicines and onward supply to government institutions.

A pharmacist of MCC, Aurangzeb Khan, stated that the medicines which they purchased were tested by the drug inspectors following which those were purchased.

The bench observed that many samples were obtained from different prisons and after examination it was proved that those were substandard.

The bench observed that it would be appropriate that the director general should appear in person. The bench also issued notices to the concerned pharmaceutical companies.

NOTICES ISSUED:

The high court put on notice the officials of Nadra and FIA (Federal Investigation Agency) in a writ petition challenging the non-issuance of national identity cards of the president of Currency Dealers Association, Peshawar, and his family members.

The petition is filed by Haji Lal Khan. Advocate Abdul Lateef Afridi appeared before a two-member bench on behalf of the petitioner and stated that he belonged to North Waziristan Agency.