Pharmaceutical Review (Staff Reporter). Ch. Mohammad Sarfraz Sajid Advocate High Court has filed a writ petition (diary) No.: 11161/2013 before the Honorable Islamabad High Court against Professional Group of Pakistan Pharmacists Association (PPA) and its dummy office bearers of PPA. This case No. 11161/2013 is filed on behalf fof Pharmacist Alliance Pakistan Pharmacist Association. It will be heard very soon. The Honorable Judge will summon the concerning so-called executives of Pakistan Pharmacists Association (PPA) and organizers of unprincipled and illegal 18^th International Pharmacy Conference & Exhibition 30^th October-2^nd November, 2013.

The respected layer Ch. Mohammad Sarfraz Sajid Advocate High Court has prayed therein that the present office bearers were elected for two year ending in September 2011 but they have been unjustifiably holding their respective offices till now. Whereas it was their utmost responsibility to declare and conduct election procedure within defined tenure. Moreover; he prayed to the Honourable High Court to declare that such office bearers have no mandate or authority to continue as such. Hence; it is pleaded therein that the said office holders should be restrained to utilize funds of Pakistan Pharmacist Association or do any activity to run its business or to hold any national or international conference at its platform.

Pharmaceutical Review (Staff Reporter). The executives of Pakistan Pharmacist Federation; Dr. Taha Nazir Ph.D. President, Hafiz M. Umer Nisar President Punjab, Prof. Dr. Syed Umer Jan Ph.D. president Baluchistan, Jumshaid Ahmad president Sindh and Prof. Dr. Fazal Subhan president Pashwar, KPK feel pleasure to wish a happy “Eid al-Adha”; Feast of the Sacrifice, Kurban Bayram (Turkish); Eid-e-Qurban (Persian) and Baqr-e Eid (Urdu).

This religious holiday is going to be celebrated by Muslims worldwide to honour the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his young first-born son Ismail (Ishmael) a as an act of submission to God’s command and his son’s acceptance to being sacrificed, before God intervened to provide Abraham with a Lamb to sacrifice instead. In the lunar Islamic calendar, Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah and lasts for four days.

The basis for the Eid al-Adha comes from the 196th verse of the 2nd sura of the Quran. The word “Eid” appears once in the 5th sura of the Quran, with the meaning “solemn festival”.

Eid begins with a Sunnah prayer of two rakats followed by a sermon (khuṭbah). The celebrations started after the descent of the Hajj from Mount Arafat, a hill east of Mecca. Ritual observance of the holiday lasts until sunset of the 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah. Eid sacrifice may take place until sunset on the 13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah. The days of Eid have been singled out in the Hadith as “days of remembrance”. The days of Tashriq are from the Fajr prayer of the 9th of Dhul Hijjah up to the Asr prayer of the 13th of Dhul Hijjah (5 days and 4 nights). This equals 23 prayers: 5 on the 9th-12th, which equal 20, and 3 on the 13th.

We wish all the best for all local and international pharmacists and their families working in different pharmacy disciplines. We also wish all the success, prosperity and progress  to pharmacy professionals/  communities/ organizations.

Pharmaceutical Review (Staff Reporter). The “Professional Group” of Pakistan Pharmacist Association (PPA) is misusing and misrepresenting different official authorities. They have already interfered the smooth professional and official working of miscellaneous bodies. Recently; they have visited certain pharmaceutical institutions to borrow the student audiences to deceive the pharmacist community and Pakistani nation. Especially the representatives in Pakistan Pharmacy Council (PPC) met to executives/ owners of pharmacy institutions. They have emphasized for faculty members/ students to get conference registration. Thus; the actual role of Pakistan Pharmacy Council has have been made more ambiguous. The functions and responsibilities of PPC are already defined in Pharmacy Act. Thus; no one is allowed to misrepresent and misuse his professional role; and no body is permitted to control and drive the institutions and professionals.

Moreover; the Chief Drug Controller, Health Department, Government of the Punjab, Lahore Pakistan has communicated on behalf of Pharmacy Council and Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. That is not his privilege to do that. Pharmacy Council and Higher Education Commission are established institution with high profiled experts. They don’t need any agent to speak on their behalf. Therefore; the pharmacist communities do not believe on so-called leaders of PPA. Pharmacists only trust the information distribution through appropriate relevant official channels. Therefore; the decision of withdrawing the one year residency after Pharm-D is the privilege of Higher Education Commission and Pharmacy Council. It should not be handled by incompetent, irrelevant and illegally occupants of Pakistan Pharmacist Association.

Pharmaceutical Review (Staff Reporter). Pharmacist Alliance; Pakistan Pharmacist Association (PPA) has protested against misuse of authority by “Professional Group” of PPA. This professional group has held and controlled PPA since last 25 years. Last (so called engineered) election was held in 2009. The officially tenure defined in the “Article of Association” Part II/ Sub-section 19; page16 (copy attached) has already been over. Thus; if this incompetent and unwise group design any activity on behalf of our noble organization Pakistan Pharmacist Association; that should be condemned and rejected. Therefore; we strong  rejected, rejected and again rejected this unprincipled and illegal 18^th International Pharmacy Conference & Exhibition 2013; October, 2013.

Moreover; “Professional Group” of PPA is representing PPA in Punjab, Sindh, Gilgit Bultistan, Islamabad areas and centre. They have held PPA by unethical and non-professional course of actions since last 25 years. They even did not arranged election because of their bad intention to prolong and enjoy the privilege of leading this noble profession. The failure of “Professional Group” is evidenced by not implementing the Punjab drug rule 2007; not assuring the issuance of the “drugs sale license” to pharmacist only; not  designing; not establishing the independent “pharmacy directorate” to assure the independent working; not properly enforcing the “salary structure” to assure the minimum starting wage of new graduates equivalent to 17th grade gazetted officer; not assuring the “new recruitments and appointments” of pharmacists in trauma centre, TB centers, operation theatres, TPN, drug information centers and Aseptic dispensing to assure the rational utilization of life saving drugs, armed forces, naval hospitals, combine military hospitals (CMH’s) in uniform, Railways, WAPDA, PTV, PIA etc on permanent and regular basis with all benefits; not assuring the pharmacist as an “important team member” of therapeutical committees, drug purchase committees and clinical pharmaceutical services departments to play as life saving professional.

We are celebrating World Pharmacist Day first time in Pakistan; while it was not celebrated effectively in previous years. But no matter that we missed 3 times this day to be celebrated. First time it was celebrated in the year 2010. At least, we Pharmacists have thought to make some voice for this profession. We congratulate and thank to all the Pharmacists and different societies of pharmacists, for arranging walk and seminars in different areas of Pakistan. We also regret to quote the lack of unity on this day too. It would be better , if we were unite in our goal. But we still hope that next year it would be celebrated in ‘letter and spirit’ and we will not ignore the efforts of 1948 and 1964, when Pharmacy was started in Lahore and Karachi respectively.