Endangering public health : Drug court rejects bail pleas

Quack, drug store salesman arrested.

ISLAMABAD: A drug court dismissed on Tuesday pre-arrest bail applications of a quack, a chemist and a salesman in connection with their alleged involvement in running two clinics and selling illegal drugs at their stores.

The drug court chairperson, Khan Raheel Akhtar Yousafzai, dismissed the bail applications of the quack, Wali Muhammad, salesman Asim Sohail, and Dr Ayaz Saeed, who did not have a licence to dispense medicine.

According to the court officials, Saeed has an MBBS degree but he did not have a chemist licence to run a medical store established inside his clinic. Sohail worked at Saeed’s drug store located in Karachi Company area.

Interestingly, Saeed managed to leave the court’s premises before the verdict was announced.

In a casual manner, he walked out from the courtroom located at the third floor of the federal judicial complex in G-11/1 and did not return despite repeated directions to his counsel, Sardar Tariq Fareed Gopang, to produce him before the court.

The counsel insisted that the order on the bail plea be announced in the absence of the suspects, while the judge kept refusing to do so, while directing to produce the suspect before the court.

“Where did he go,” inquired the judge, “he was right here in this courtroom a few minutes ago.”

“He can come in half an hour,” replied Gopang, while requesting once again to pronounce the judgement in absence of the suspect.

“At least adjourn it till tomorrow,” asked the counsel, but when the judge replied in negative, he said he wished to withdraw the bail applications. “In that case, he would definitely be arrested,” replied the judge, adding that he escaped the court without hearing the verdict.

“Why do you think he would definitely be arrested, he could have got bail,” the judge remarked.

At this point, the arguments had almost turned into a heated discussion which led to a warning to the counsel and ultimately resulted in the dismissal of the bail applications.

The officials said that Wali was arrested on charges of running a clinic in Golra without having the required qualification.

They also said that Wali was arrested earlier on charges of practicing without degree.

He was sent behind bars but started practicing again after he was released.

The Inspector of Drugs, Shabbir Ahmed, said that the suspects had been accused of violating licencing conditions and for their alleged involvement in selling and stocking of the expired drugs.

Besides, they were accused of keeping thermolabile drugs at a higher temperature instead of storing at 2-8 degrees Celsius.

Two separate cases were registered against the suspects in Golra and Margalla police stations in 2015.

The court had reserved verdict on the bail applications after the parties concluded their arguments.

Following the verdict, the police arrested Wali and Sohail from the court premises.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 22^nd, 2016.