LAHORE: The Governor of West Pakistan, Malik Amir Mohammad Khan, today [Oct 18] said that the Government was alive to the evil of food adulteration and was determined to eradicate it. “But the Government cannot succeed unless the public extends active co-operation,” he added. Talking to newsmen, Malik Amir said people must come forward to record their evidence against food adulterators. The Government could not perform the duties of prosecutor, witness and judge at one and the same time, he remarked. He said the public must co-operate and the officials concerned must become more active. He expressed his dissatisfaction over the present pace of work in this regard.

He said the suggestions of the Food Department that high officials of that Department should be vested with necessary powers to deal effectively with the evil of food adulteration had been received and were under the consideration of the Law Department.

The suggestion that the time provided for testing food samples seized by the authorities concerned should be reduced from 15 days to 24 hours to obviate the possibility of approach to the public analysis, was also under consideration of the Government.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2014