LAHORE, March 31: A five-member board constituted by the Chief Chemical Examiner (CCE) has confirmed that tablets, seized by the Anti-Narcotics Force from the Lahore airport in January last, contain ‘amphetamine’ derivative.

Used as central nerve system (CNS) stimulant, the drug is a banned item.

Board’s findings have falsified the Lahore chemical examiner’s report that the tablets contained normal value of amphetamine. The board, however, said the quantitative estimation was not possible due to lack of reference standard.

In the light of the board report, CCE Dr Ayaz Chaudhry has recommended proceedings against Dr Pervaiz Awan, Lahore chemical examiner, under the Removal from Service Ordinance, 2000, for committing grave misconduct in his professional capacity. He has forwarded his recommendation to the Punjab health secretary.

The ANF Lahore police station had registered an FIR (No 01/03) on Jan 13 and sent a pack of tablets to the chemical examiner for examination.

Dr Awan’s report said that each tablet of 250mg contained only 4.67mg of amphetamine, a permissible level having sedative effect.

His deputy, assistant chemical examiner Dr Zaman Mehdi, challenged the report as incomplete because proper tests were not mentioned (in the report) and that he was on leave when it (report) was submitted.

Biochemist Ms Furqana Malik also wrote to the CCE that she was forced to sign the report by the chemical examiner despite her objection that the ACE was on leave and that the reference standard was not available.

CCE Dr Chaudhry who also examined the report constituted a five-member board comprising Dr Pervaiz Ahmad Awan (as convener), assistant chemical examiners Dr Muhammad Zaman Mehdi, Dr Amar Ali Husain Khan, biochemists Ms Furqana Malik and Ms Shaheena Akhtar to re-examine tablets.

The board said each tablet contained amphetamine up to ecstasy (banned) level.