A judicial magistrate on Tuesday remanded three owners of as many pharmaceutical companies in physical custody of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for interrogation into the medicines that allegedly caused deaths of patients at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC).

The agency sought 10-day remand, however, the magistrate allowed three-day physical custody of the accused, Tahir Azam, Chaudhry Nadir and Muhammad Wasim. The prosecution counsel argued before the court that at least 65 patients had died while hundreds of others were affected after using medicines supplied by the three companies.

The counsel said the medicines, supplied by the companies, were substandard and manufacturing and expiry dates were not mentioned on them. On the other hand, the counsel for the accused submitted that the federal government had taken action against his clients in haste only to gain a political milage.

He said the federal government had jumped into the provincial matter unnecessarily and without having any evidence against the companies. The counsel alleged that the patients died due to negligence on part of doctors but the whole responsibility was being shifted to the pharmaceutical companies.

After hearing both sides, magistrate Irfan Basra granted three-day physical remand of the accused to the FIA and directed the authority to produce them on January 27. The accused were arrested on Monday and booked under Drug Act 1976.

EOBI land purchase: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday sought report from the Employees Oldage Benefits Institution (EOBI) chairman and the federal government on a petition against alleged irregularities in purchase of lands and funds by the chairman, who is also brother of a Pakistan Peoples Party MNA.

The petition has been filed by member Board of trustee of Employees Oldage Benefits Institution Syed Imran Ali Shah. Through his counsel Saif-ul-Malook, he pleaded that EOBI was established under Employees Old-age Benefits Act 1976.

He said chairman Employees Oldage Benefits Institution (EOBI) Zafar Iqbal Gondal, brother of Pakistan Peoples Party former federal minister Nazar Muhammad Gondal, had invested the funds of institution ignoring law and the reservations of board members, he added.

The petition said chairman recruited about 200 officers violating the merit and approval of lawful authority. He pointed out that, during his tenure as chairman, he had purchased land from DHA Islamabad in Phase-2, for an amount of Rs.15, 743,700,000 by ignoring the serious objections of institution’s Financial Advisor Imdad Ali Sheikh. He alleged that chairman had done so for kickbacks.

He said the chairman had also entered into an agreement to purchase by violating the department rules and boards approval of a land measuring 40-Kanal 16-Marlas in Mauza Sehjpal, Lahore Cant against Rs1, 437,000,000. Under the 18th constitutional amendment, he maintained, the department of Employees Oldage Benefits Institution was excluded from the concurrent list and was given to the provinces but the federal government through a single notification had given the said department under the control of Human Resources Development (HRD) division, terming it a clear violation of the constitution.

He requested the Lahore High Court to issue direction to an independent investigation agency for probing the illegalities regarding plundering the billions of rupees belonging to the retired old-age labourers. He also prayed to restrain the chairman from setting up new boards and declare the notification to give it under control of Human Resources Development as null a void.