ISLAMABAD, July 7: The fate of bio-safety laws, that have been awaiting government’s nod for the last three years, is still uncertain.
“We are carefully analyzing the consequences of bio-safety laws, which will take time,” said the minister of state for environment, Maj Tahir Iqbal (retired), while talking to Dawn here on Monday.
Before the approval of these laws, the government wants to put in place certain safety features so that any eventuality can be handled properly, he said.
“Suppose some virus or bacteria develops in the event of genetically modifying crop and starts destroying our yields, who will be responsible,” the minister said.
When his attention was drawn towards the demand of scientists for the early approval of the laws, he said certain people, having vested interests, were behind this demand.
At a time when the entire world was oppose to the genetically modified crops, why should not we wait and see instead of approving the law, the minister suggested.
When asked if the use of genetically engineered crop was better than pesticides, which not only poisoning our soil but also affecting the production, the minister replied that the problem was due to the irrational use of pesticides.
Meanwhile, scientists involved in the bio-technology were demanding that the inaction on the part of the government was damaging the interest of the country since the concerns regarding bio-safety and bioethical, and intellectual property rights (IPR) could not be protected.
The scientists were of the view that in the absence of these laws, there was no provision to check the import of certain genetically engineered seeds, which were being imported by certain quarters without taking into account the environment and soil condition of Pakistan.
They argued that there was great potential for the enhancement of crop production in Pakistan, where 26 per cent of GDP, 60 per cent of exports and 47 per cent of employment comes from agriculture sector.
The scientists said Pakistan was a signatory to the International Bio-safety Protocol, and, therefore, it was obligatory on the part of the government to finalize the bio- safety laws as early as possible because these guidelines would put in place legal requirements for import, export, safety, transport, sale and handling of genetic engineered seeds, crops and food besides setting conditions for the researchers.