Amid a growing public health crisis in the country, where 30 to 40 percent of patients are hospitalized due to consuming unsafe food, prominent businessman Shahid Rasheed Butt today called for comprehensive legal reforms, including a minimum ten-year prison sentence for those involved in the trade of counterfeit goods.
Former President of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce, Shahid Rasheed Butt, said that the country’s existing laws are ineffective against the widespread production of counterfeit medicines, substandard food, and poor-quality consumer goods.
He proposed the immediate introduction of strict legislation mandating a minimum of “ten years’ imprisonment and a fine of two crore rupees for offenders. Butt further suggested that this penalty be doubled for repeat offenses.
This demand for strict punishment is not limited to manufacturers but includes the entire supply network. Butt insisted that everyone involved in the supply, sale, import, or export of such counterfeit products should face the same harsh consequences.
Highlighting specific areas of concern, he called for immediate action against the ghee, cooking oil, poultry, and dairy mafias.
For companies importing substandard goods, Butt recommended that their shipments be either destroyed or sent back, with all associated costs recovered from the importer. He added that their businesses should be permanently sealed.
Official statistics presented indicate a critical situation, according to which 40 to 85 percent of medicines in Pakistan are counterfeit or substandard. The country also accounts for approximately 13.3 percent of the world’s total production of counterfeit drugs.
This problem is also widespread in the food sector, where tests conducted in major cities have revealed that 66 percent of milk, 75 percent of ghee, and 85 percent of tea samples are adulterated. According to reports, counterfeit agricultural pesticides are also causing severe damage to crops and farmers.
Butt emphasized that protecting the agricultural sector, the environment, and public health from serious threats is only possible through uncompromising legislation and its indiscriminate enforcement. He concluded that mere statements are not enough and the entire network fueling this crisis must be dismantled, as weak laws and poor implementation are causing continuous harm to citizens, farmers, and the national economy.