ISLAMABAD: A Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) selection board has concealed the facts from the federal cabinet to get appointed Rauf Asim, an officer involed in forgery and cheating for getting unlawful promotion from grade 18 to grade in 2018 as DRAP Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
The selection board also set a sheer example of conflict of interest by recommending the name of an officer to the federal cabinet for appointment of DRAP CEO who is holding the office of secretary of the board.
Sources said DRAP selection board, which met here on December 3, 2021, also committed a criminal act by not seeking and considering two certificates to ascertain repute of the officer whose.name it was recommending for appointment of DRAP CEO. As per law, the board was required to have two certificates from the department to ascertain that the concerned officer was not involved in any illegal act and there was no inquiry pending against him in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Interestingly, Asim Rauf has been found involved in getting promotion from grade 18 to grade 19 through illegal means and a report confirming his involvent was confirmed in an inquiry report available with the office of the Federal secretary health. NAB is also investigating Asim Rauf in the case of illegal promotion in 2018.
Asim Rauf despite accused of cheating and forgery for his promotion has been holding the office of DRAP CEO on look after basis for the last three years. He, being look after CEO DRAP, played a role in 14 times price- hike in lifesaving drugs rates in the last three and half years of the Imran Khan rule. DRAP selection board had interviewed four candidates including incumbent DRAP look after CEO, Asim Rauf, Syed Musarat Ali, a reputed and experienced professional from the private sector , Noor Mohammad Shah, a grade 21 officer qualified DRAP officer with solid professional background and Dr Zaka , another public sector professional officer having good reputation among government officers. Instead , taking decision on merit and picking up a reputed and experienced professional for important position of DRAP CEO, its selection board picked- up a NAB tainted officer to recommend his name to the federal cabinet for appointment of DRAP chief.
NEWSMAN investigations suggested that Asim Rauf is a God father of the pharmacutical industry and he kept on getting extension as DRAP CEO on look after basis for the last three years due to links of the pharmacutical mafia with a Lahore-based lady known for her close links with the rulers in Islamabad.
Noor Mahar, president pharmacists Lawyers Association of Pakistan , was when contacted for comments said ” Asim Rauf is a frontman of a powerful pharmaceutical mafia and he is there to provide undue and unlawful benefit to the same mafia through repeated increase in the prices of medicines”.
Noor Mahar said Asim Rauf was instrumental in providing benefit of hundreds of billions to his supportive pharmaceutical mafia.
The drug prices have gone -up to 500 % in the last three and half years of the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) government. Asim Rauf’s mafia is not only stricking at DRAP level. It has close link with the sitting secretary Health, Aamir Ashraf Khawaja. He is also beneficiary of the same mafia and involved in concealing the inquiry report from the federal cabinet. In order to give benefit of supporting the powerful mafia of pharmaceutical industry, Aamir Ashraf Khawaja, federal secretary Health, has secured a job for his wife against salary of half a million rupee in a federal hospital.
