Satnam Singh, a well-known figure in the Sikh community, was running his clinic ‘Dharmandar Pharmacy’ on Charsadda Road in Peshawar

Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior has sought a report from the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into the killing of a well-known Sikh ‘hakeem’ in the country’s restive northwestern city of Peshawar, an official said on Saturday. ‘Hakeem’ Sardar Satnam Singh (Khalsa), 45, who practised Unani medicine, was at his clinic on Thursday when some unidentified gunmen barged into his cabin and opened fire, killing him on the spot, the police said.

The assailants, who managed to flee the crime scene, fired four times, according to the police. The federal interior Ministry sought a report from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government into the killing, according to an official. An initial report has been sent to the interior ministry even as the police expanded the scope of their investigation, the official said.

Singh’s funeral was held on Friday, according to the official. Provincial Police chief Moazzam Jah Ansari visited Singh’s residence and condoled his family. The Islamic State’s Afghanistan affiliate, dubbed Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), has claimed responsibility for his killing in Peshawar. The ISIS-K described Singh as “polytheist”, The Associated Press news agency quoted the terror group as saying in its statement.

The ISIS-K, which has stepped up attacks in several Afghan cities since the Taliban seized power in Kabul on August 15, had also claimed the deadly suicide attack at Kabul airport on August 26 that killed nearly 170 Afghans and 13 US military personnel. According to the Punjab Police, Singh had arrived in Peshawar from Hassan Abdaal a day earlier.

Singh, a well-known figure in the Sikh community, was running his clinic ‘Dharmandar Pharmacy’ on Charsadda Road in Peshawar. He had been living in the city for the past 20 years.

Singh is survived by his wife, three daughters and two sons. About 15,000 Sikhs live in Peshawar, mostly in the Jogan Shah neighborhood of the provincial capital. Most of the Sikh community members in Peshawar are involved in business, while some also run pharmacies. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan strongly condemned the killing of Singh and directed the police to take immediate steps to arrest the killers. In 2018, Charanjit Singh, a prominent Sikh community member, was killed by unknown men in Peshawar.

Similarly, news channel anchor Ravinder Singh was killed in 2020 in the city. In 2016, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s National Assembly member Soren Singh was killed in Peshawar. According to the 2017 census, Hindus constitute the largest religious minority in Pakistan. Christians make up the second largest religious minority. The Ahmadis, Sikhs and Parsis are also among the notable religious minorities in Pakistan.

Ajay Piramal is an Indian billionaire industrialist, and the chairman of the Piramal Group, a conglomerate with interests in pharmaceutical, financial services, real estate, healthcare analytics and glass packaging.

The company is focussing on growth and is scouting for more acquisitions
Topics
Piramal Enterprises | Piramal Group | Ajay Piramal
The demerger and consolidation of the pharma business of Piramal Enterprises under Piramal Pharma (PPL) is a positive move for shareholders both from the valuation and growth perspectives. Given the holding company structure, analysts were valuing the pharma segment at a 20 per cent discount.

With a separate listed entity, the estimated enterprise value of PPL could move up from the Rs 31,500 crore that analysts at Motilal Oswal Research had pegged for the pharma business. A year ago the Carlyle Group had picked up a 20 per cent stake in the pharma business valuing the company at $2.8

A newly upgraded emergency ward was inaugurated at the District Headquarters Hospital in Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (formerly North-West Frontier Province), on 16 September.

The 26-bed facility, which includes an operation theatre, resuscitation room, triage clinics and pharmacy, was renovated and set up by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as part of its efforts to strengthen health-care facilities in the province. Dr. Ataullah Khan, Deputy Chief Health System Reforms Unit, inaugurated the ward in a ceremony attended by officials of the health department and district headquarters hospital.

Appreciating the ICRC’s efforts, he said, “The upgraded facility will provide efficient health-care services to the people of Bajaur. Improving health care in the merged areas is a priority of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government and we are committed to providing the best facilities.”

Focused on developing the emergency wards at secondary-level health facilities in the merged areas, the ICRC is currently supporting emergency departments of four hospitals in KP. We are also supporting emergency services at the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, which is the largest health facility in the province.

Emphasizing the ICRC’s efforts to help the most vulnerable populations in Pakistan, Farrukh Islomov, head of subdelegation in Peshawar, said, “We are committed to sharing our expertise in a coordinated manner with the authorities and partner organizations in Pakistan. We look forward to a meaningful collaboration with the KP Health Department to improve services and deliver a timely response.”

The ICRC’s health programme in Pakistan promotes an integrated approach so that vulnerable communities have access to a proper continuum of care, from emergency care to rehabilitation after physical recovery. We facilitate this by building the capacity of health-care professionals in KP and the merged areas.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the authorities to exploit the full potential of export diversification in salt and pharmaceutical sectors.

Chairing a meeting of the National Export Development Board on Friday, the premier emphasised that the business community should adopt modern technologies for value addition.

He said that the government was focused on creating a business-friendly environment for strengthening the economy and increasing employment opportunities.

On the occasion, the premier was briefed that Pakistan had been blessed with all types of salt in the world including rock, sea and lake salt.

With reserves of 6.2 billion tons, the Khewra Salt mine was the second largest salt range in the world, he was briefed, adding that Pakistan had sea salt reserves along the 1,050km-long coastline.

Pakistan’s annual salt production was 4 million tons whereas just 0.3 million tons were being exported each year, it was revealed.

The government of Balochistan and Hub Salt have initiated a new solar salt project, which will be the world’s largest salt facility.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2021.

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ll pharmaceutical companies operating in the country are required to disburse 1% of their profit to the Central Research Fund (CRF) under the Drug Research Rules 1978.

rime Minister Imran Khan has reportedly taken notice of the unconsumed funds and is expected to notify a ‘Committee of Experts on Drug Research’ in the next few days to officially initiate the utilization of Rs. 3 billion for the R&I in the pharmaceutical sector.

Pharmaceutical companies in the country have always been criticized for lack of innovation. While they have been regularly contributing to the CRF, DRAP is responsible for the lack of innovation in the country’s pharmaceutical sector because it has been unable to launch any R&I initiatives in the sector since its inception.

Sources familiar with the development have claimed the ‘Committee of Experts on Drug Research’ will be tasked with R&I in the field of clinical trials, for the discovery of new molecules, and for the establishment of research and development (R&D) centers in the area of medicine.

Director Pharmacy Services DRAP would lead the committee as Chairperson. Other members of the committee would be Deputy Drug Controller Pharmacy Services DRAP, Chairman of Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC), one professor of pharmacy from each province, an expert of biotechnology, and a co-opted expert nominated by the committee’s chairman.

A senior official of the Federal Health Ministry, on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that former SAPM on Health, Dr. Zafar Mirza, initiated the process of constituting a committee to lead R&I efforts in the country soon after his appointment as SAPM in April 2019. However, vested interests impeded Dr. Zafar’s plans.

In July 2020, Dr. Zafar Mirza resigned as the SAPM on Health after the Federal Government published the details of the assets and dual nationalities of Advisors and Special Assistants to the Prime Minister.

Welcoming the development, Dr. Zafar Mirza expressed hope that the committee not only would utilize the funds for R&I but would also promote ethical marketing practices in the pharmaceutical sector of the country.

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Abdul Razak Dawood, the commerce and investment advisor, said that the government is focusing on increasing pharmaceutical exports through “tariff rationalisation, trade-related investment, institutional reforms, and easing of business regulations.”

He disclosed this while addressing the first Pharma Export Summit and Awards (PESA) event organized by Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association (PPMA).

Dawood said that the government would introduce several tariff rationalization measures in the next annual budget, which would target both industrial and agricultural sectors.

He told attendees that Prime Minister Imran Khan will meet with PPMA leadership today and discuss additional measures to promote the pharmaceutical sector.

The Ministry of Commerce’s “Made-in-Pakistan” policy will also help promote local production and exports of pharmaceutical products in new international markets, Dawood added.

He disclosed this while addressing the first Pharma Export Summit and Awards (PESA) event organized by Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association (PPMA).

Dawood said that the government would introduce several tariff rationalization measures in the next annual budget, which would target both industrial and agricultural sectors.

He told attendees that Prime Minister Imran Khan will meet with PPMA leadership today and discuss additional measures to promote the pharmaceutical sector.

The Ministry of Commerce’s “Made-in-Pakistan” policy will also help promote local production and exports of pharmaceutical products in new international markets, Dawood added.

Chairman PPMA, Tauqeer-ul-Haq, said that the pharmaceutical industry in 2020 was valued at around $3.2 billion, up from $1.64 billion in 2011.

“The industry can expand to $5 billion within next few years.” Haq said. Adding that the industry had already logged a 24 percent growth rate in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, having exported products worth over $68 million.

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Pakistan Pharmacist Association – PPA

https://pakistanpharmacistsassociation.pk

https://pakistanpharmacistsassociation.com