ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Young Pharmacist Association (PYPA) has alleged that the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Asim Rauf runs a pharmaceutical company which is conflict of interest.

The association has written a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and copies of the letter have been sent to 14 other divisions and offices.

However, Dr Rauf has announced to take the association in the court of law over false accusation.

The letter, written by PYPA General Secretary Dr Furqan Ibrahim and available with Dawn, alleged that CEO Asim Rauf built pharma factory in Pakistan and then built another pharma factory with the same name in Egypt for money laundering.

The letter stated that Mr Rauf joined Federal Ministry of Health in 2002 and left for United States on ex-Pakistan leave in 2004. The leave was continued to extend for five years and then he rejoined Ministry of Health in 2009.

“On return from the US, Mr Rauf never submitted his required PhD or any University Degree of US in the Ministry of Health (it is settled law that if degree is not submitted then entire period is not counted as experience and if some period of leave was paid, the salary must be returned, which was not),” it stated.

“On rejoining of Ministry of Health Mr Rauf was appointed Federal Drug Inspector Sundar Industrial Estate Lahore in 2009. He purchased plot at Sundar Industrial Estate in 2010 and constructed pharma factory with the name and style of M/s Zeta Pharmaceuticals, the owner of M/s Zeta Pharma was Mr Amer Wali Rauf (real brother of Mr Asim Rauf) in partnership concern.

Mr Rauf conducted all the inspections of M/s Zeta Pharmaceuticals himself since 2010 till his posting to Islamabad as Director Quality Assurance. Then he changed the title in his father-in-law’s name Mr Atiq Qamar.

Surprisingly, M/s Zeta Pharmaceuticals is Benami concern of Mr Asim Rauf.

At the same time Mr Asim Rauf built another factory in Egypt with the same name in 2010 to use it for money laundering, the letter alleged, adding that the CEO Drap gave contract of digitalisation of documents of Drap, funded by USAID, to his brother.

When contacted, Dr Asim Rauf told Dawn that all the allegations in the letter were baseless.

“I have decided to take legal action against the association as such allegations cannot be tolerated,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2022