ISLAMABAD: While Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) has not been fully completed in the last one decade, the process to appoint four new directors has been stayed by the Balochistan High Court (BHC).

The stay has been issued by the court over a petition that alleged that according to the advertisement all four seats of the directors were being filled from Punjab, depriving people of other provinces.

An official of Drap, requesting not to be quoted, said the authority consisted of one chief executive officer (CEO) and 13 directors.

“However, it could not be completed for over a decade as most of the seats were filled through acting charges. Currently, only two directors i.e. Amanullah and Noor Mohammad Shah have the permanent charge while the others 11 directorates are being run on acting charges.”

He said in 2013 the Supreme Court of Pakistan had directed the government to appoint regular directors and then time to time such directions were issued by courts.

“In 2024, Islamabad High Court’s Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb directed to complete the authority. Later, four posts of the directors were advertised but the advertisement was challenged in BHC, claiming that the quota of the province was not considered,” he said.

According to the court order, available with Dawn, Dr Mohammad Aleem Akhtar in his petition contended that the advertisement was a clear violation of the Constitution as it did not provide the requisite provincial quota/share for Balochistan. Moreover, only four out of the 11 vacant positions were advertised which was against the Drap Act 2012 as well as contempt to the orders of the Supreme Court and the BHC.

Moreover, he claimed that only the government, not Drap, was competent to appoint the directors.

The court directed the Ministry of National Health Services and Drap to stop the finalisation of the appointment process.

Drap was established under an Act in 2012. The authority is responsible for providing effective coordination and enforcement of Drugs Act 1976 and bringing harmony in inter-provincial trade and commerce of therapeutic goods. Therapeutic goods regulated by Drap include pharmaceutical and biological drugs for human or veterinary use, medical devices and medical cosmetics, health and OTC (non-drugs) also known as alternative medicines such as Ayurvedic, Chinese, Unani, homeopathy, nutritional products, food supplements for human beings and animals.

Drap ensures that therapeutic goods, approved and available in the market, meet prescribed standards of quality, safety and efficacy. The regulatory functions performed by Drap include registration and marketing authorisation, vigilance, market surveillance and control, licensing establishments, regulatory inspection, laboratory testing, clinical trials oversight, pharmacovigilance, and lot release of biologicals etc.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2025