A scientist who blew the whistle on contaminated injections manufactured by the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (Pinstech) posing life threats to cancer patients is now himself receiving threats from some anonymous callers warning him against pursuing the case. Muhammad Riaz Pasha, who oversaw quality control procedure of these injections as a Principal Scientist at Pinstech, had first informed the high-ups of his office about their contamination with undesirable radio-nuclides and then approached the Supreme Court and now Justice Ali Nawaz Chohan-led National Commission of Human Rights (NCHR) with some undeniable evidence.
This is a classic case in understanding how information is concealed even from the highest judicial forum like the Supreme Court in order to get a favourable verdict as Pinstech had earlier tampered with the facts to secure a clean chit from the SC. While the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) has not answered the questions in this respect, now raised by the NCHR about Pinstech’s alleged criminal acts, saying the issue has been settled by the Supreme Court, but the NCHR has received a new application from Pasha revealing the threats he is getting from the anonymous callers. The concerns of the former scientist-whistleblower are fairly serious and the matter requires urgent notice. The scientist has alleged that radioactive compound produced by Pinstech, which is used to determine the exact location of cancer cells, could be causing cancer itself. The concern is that all 14 hospitals operating under the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) have been supplied the contaminated drug since 2011. The report in this newspaper points to an audit by Moody’s International Certification Group in February 2013 of a batch of the drug which points to higher values than normal of a particular radioactive material used in manufacturing the substance. We feel the matter needs to be resolved in the clearest manner possible. It seems the issue has been disposed of without being looked at it with utmost seriousness, which includes the fact that Pinstech has not responded in a thorough manner to this newspaper’s investigating journalist who broke the story. Last year, Pinstech admitted that certain batches were contaminated but claimed that they had not been sent to hospitals. This should be an easy issue to verify. If there is nothing to the story, then it should be easy for the issue to die down. However, if the whistleblower is right, then there needs to be a proper inquiry into how such a health risk has been allowed to pass in the name of treatment.It must also be investigated whether the contaminated drug was given to any patient by any of the hospitals involved. More seriously, the issue of who should investigate the matter needs to be resolved as neither the SC nor the NCHR are the correct organs to look into the issue. With no clear conclusion over the allegations of contamination in cancer drugs, questions will continue to be asked about Pakistan’s ability to use nuclear technology for peaceful means.
pk.shafaqna.com
