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LHC suspends interim Punjab govt's drug pricing notification

LHC suspends interim Punjab govt's drug pricing notification

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ordered the suspension of the notification issued by the caretaker Punjab government regarding drug pricing during a hearing presided over by Justice Shahid Karim concerning the regulation of drug prices.

The petitioner, Muhammad Aslam, contended that the caretaker government's notification to fix drug prices was issued in violation of the law, apprehending that its implementation would lead to an increase in medicine prices.

He argued that the caretaker government's attempt to remove the section providing for price regulation from the Drug Act was beyond its mandate.

The counsel for the petitioner asserted that the incoming elected government would be better equipped to address such matters. They said the current notification contradicts both constitutional principles and legal statutes, urging the court to suspend it until a final decision is reached.

In response, the Lahore High Court suspended the drug pricing notification issued by the caretaker government and directed all concerned parties to provide their responses at the upcoming hearing.

The petition named the federal government and other relevant stakeholders as parties to the case.