Probe launched against Pakistan PM’s top aide

ISLAMABAD: Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan has launched an inquiry against Prime Minister Imran Khan’s top aide on health over his alleged involvement in smuggling of 20 million surgical masks to other nations amid the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country. The director general of FIA, which probes civilian criminal matters in Pakistan, has ordered officials to submit the inquiry report within two weeks.
An association of pharmacists had filed a complaint with FIA against Dr Zafar Mirza, special assistant to the PM on health, accusing him of smuggling masks out of Pakistan. Mirza is responsible for taking policy decision on health issues in the country.
The association claimed that Mirza, with the help of Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) director Ghazanfar Ali, smuggled the masks to a foreign country.
The allegations surfaced when Pakistan was facing a shortage of face masks after cases of coronavirus were reported in the country. Prices of masks also skyrocketed due to their shortage in markets.
Earlier this month, customs authorities had foiled a bid to smuggle a huge quantity of surgical masks into foreign countries at Islamabad airport. Customs officials intercepted three passengers at the airport and recovered 72,000 masks from their possession. They were smuggling the item to Bankok and Doha.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan government on Friday announced the closure of all educational institutions in the country — including public and private schools, universities, vocational institutions and religious seminaries — due to the outbreak of Covid-19. The government also announced cancellation of national day parade on March 23.