ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court has returned a constitutional petition filedagainst former army chief, Gen (retd) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, over hisalleged involvement in a medical scam.
The petition was filed by a former military officer Lt Col (retd) InamulRahiem under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution, who urged the SupremeCourt to issue directives for a complete audit of the medical storetendered, purchased and procured by the improperly established depots at 27Combined Military Hospitals.
Former military chief, Gen (retd) Kayani – who was made respondent in thecase – is accused of disbanding a legally established Armed Forces MedicalStore Depot, as well as, manufacturing, supplying and procuring substandardand spurious medicines in connivance with former militaryspokesperson Major General Athar Abbas.
“During his [Athar] stay as corps commander at Karachi, he came acrosscertain medicine manufacturers and knew their business technique and afterhis retirement from [the] armed forces he decided to set up the business ofmedicines,” the petition stated.
The petitioner pleaded that Athar got the services of his longtime friendand former Lt Col Naveed who established a pharmaceutical factorynamed Medizan Laboratories as a frontman of Lt Gen (retd) Athar afterlatter’s retirement.
In his petition, the former military personnel contended that in 2009, adrug inspector sent the sample of tablet Tinize manufactured by MedizanLaboratories (Pvt) Ltd to the Drug Testing Laboratory Punjab whichconfirmed that the said drug was substandard.
He prayed the court to refer the matter to the National AccountabilityBureau (NAB) for criminal proceedings.
However, the apex court registrar office shot down the petition, raisingthree objections.
The registrar office objected that the petitioner had not approached anyother appropriate forum, adding that he has not provided any justificationfor not doing so.
The registrar office also objected that apparently, the matter was subjudice before the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench.
Moreover, the apex court official also cited the absence of the certificaterequired under the rules of Supreme Court.
After the dismissal of the petition, Rahiem expressed concerns at theregistrar office’s move, saying that he would challenge the objections verysoon as.
The applicant had also made the Ministry of Defence, Lt-General (retd)Athar as respondents.