RAWALPINDI: The Governors Conference today [Nov 14] decided to adopt strict measures to check the manufacture and circulation of spurious drugs in the country.

The conference discussed in detail various aspects of the matter and decided to appoint Inspectors of Drugs in each district of the two provinces.

It decided to strengthen the testing laboratories at Karachi and Dacca and to set up a new laboratory in Lahore by the end of 1968. It was also decided to expedite the work on the laboratory at Chittagong.

The conference also directed that the Central Laboratories should, in addition to checking the drugs for export, check the work of other laboratories.

In order to determine the correct specification of the drugs the Conference decided that the recommendations of the Drugs Technical Advisory Board would be binding, which had been only of an advisory nature hitherto.

With a view to preserving wildlife in the country and also making them a source of interest to the tourists, the Governors’ Conference also took a number of important decisions, including the imposition of a total ban on the killing of certain game birds and animals and to suspend, for the time being, the export of skins of wild animals.

The Conference discussed the report submitted by the World Wildlife Fund some time ago, and took decisions in the light of its recommendations.

The decision to suspend the export of skins of wild animals is based on two considerations: firstly, the banning of the export will reduce the chances of total extinction of wildlife; and secondly, with the passage of time it will be a great source of interest to the tourists.

The Conference also decided to provide special protection to the white headed duck and the marble teal.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2017