KARACHI: Balochistan is the only province where lawlessness is common comparing with the others Provinces of the country. One can find more violation of laws in Balochistan than other provinces. It is believed to be an issue of governance and leaders found least interest in enforcing rule of law.

Presumably, the power structure is defective and the rulers gave more importance to their personal contacts and relations than the laws of the land. It is also common in Balochistan that there is personal intervention is more frequent in affairs of governance or rule of law and the personal issues are given greater importance.

This perception is common down to the earth in all parts of Balochistan, mainly in the trading and commercial centers where lawlessness is rampant and more critical. Hardly police or other law enforcing agencies are found in the commercial centers monitoring the business activities more closely and with an angle that the products sold are fair, genuine and unadulterated and fit for human consumption.

As a result, adulterated, fake and sub-standard food edible are supplied to the buyers without any check or fear of accountability. Thousands of products on display at the shops and other outlets are normally fake, sub-standard and unfit for human consumption are sold with complete impunity.

In Quetta and elsewhere in Balochistan, hardly there is any agency or Government department made responsible for checking the sale of products and food that they are fit for human consumption or not or the products are fake and sub-standard.

In recent years, newspapers reported a police raid on a work place involved in preparing sub-standard medical product and other than medicine. The Police sealed the premises and prepared the case of the Provincial Health Department for legal proceedings. The case remained in file for years till it was time-barred under the law and the accused persons resumed their illicit trade again.

Naturally, a complete Mafia had protected them in the past saving them from punishment under the law. Years after, the Provincial Health Department, mainly the Quality Control Department resumed the action against fake, sub-standard and unregistered medicine and prosecuting more than 50 such cases under the law. In one of the raids, spurious medicine worth over Rs four million confiscated with fake letter paid of famous doctors. The raid was conducted on a flat located in the famous drug market in the commercial district of Quetta. Raids are being conducted to arrest the culprits responsible for operating the racket of fake and spurious medicine.

Besides medicine, normal food products are found adulterated or sub-standard on sale in the market. The business is not confined to Quetta city only, but such outlets are found in all parts of Balochistan, particularly in the major human settlements and big cities of Balochistan.

Some observers believed that more than 90 per cent products offered for sale in the markets in Balochistan are fake or sub-standard and it is unfit for human consumption. Most of the eatable products are fake, sub-standard and dangerous for people’s health.

Even prestigious and big hotels were found providing stale and sub-standard food to their customers in Quetta and most of old people complained against the quality of food served in those big and prestigious hotels. The local administration should come into action and raid the hotels and all eating houses and ensure that fresh and healthy food is ensured to all customers without any discrimination.

The Provincial Government should ensure that ghee and vegetable oil being sold in the market is of quality and standard and not counterfeit or unfit for human consumption. Public health is inseparably linked with the consumption of oil and ghee by all human being and the Government should certify that particular oil or ghee is safe for human consumption. Others should not be allowed to offer their sub-standard oil or ghee for sale in Balochistan, including the smuggled oil and ghee from the neighbouring country.

There was a big crisis when Punjab Government Food Authority found most of the cooking oil and ghee, including the most prestigious brands, was substandard and low quality and declared most of them unfit for human consumption. The unending list of the cooking oil brand was published in the newspapers as a Government advertisement. The Government advertisement sent a shock wave to rest of Pakistan besides Punjab and the Government of Balochistan did not verified the report that the cooking oil and ghee sold are fit or unfit for human consumption. The Balochistan and Sindh Government did not react to that official report from the Punjab Province.

However, the Provincial Government should verify each and every edible product that they are fit for human consumption and thus allowed for sale. No sub-standard, injurious to health edible products should be should be sold in the open market and it should be made punishable offence. The Shopkeepers should be made solely responsible for selling verified and certified eatable items and he should be held responsible for selling any substandard products or those injurious to health.

The Provincial Government should make the local administration responsible in all parts of Balochistan that shops are selling genuine, standard products and they are buying the products from the authorized dealers only and not from the thugs and cheats with a purpose to earn more profit.