Sometimes, I seriously feel sorry for my business community, and lament at their various illegal tactics to give a boost to their business activities for earning maximum undue profit. There are scores of such examples where our business community uses unhealthy, dishonest, irreligious and unethical practices to earn maximum profits out of their established businesses.
Many pharmaceutical companies operating within the country, for example, prepare fake, substandard and adulterated medicines, and sell them at various whole-sale and retail outlets, thus endangering the lives of suffering patients. Like-wise, grocery shops sell various adulterated food items such as rice, pulses, flour, ghee, oil, salt, ground red peppers, etc. Same is the case with the quality of open milk, as many popular milk shops sell adulterated milk. Many beverage companies, as well, prepare and produce substandard beverages.
Even our fruits are not free from adulteration, as many fruit vendors inject sweeteners into fruits to make them sweeter. Our so-called mineral water is not pure and safe, as many harmful particles are found within it. The mutton, beef and chicken that we buy are also not pure as the same are kept within water for hours to make them heavier in weight. Even the petrol for our vehicles is not pure, as the same is mixed with some other substandard quality petrol.
Everywhere, we have been experiencing adulterated things. Perhaps, it is because of the fact that the successive governments have never been serious on this very important human issue and accordingly, have failed to establish their writ in undoing all such ugly practices from the business community. Only constant monitoring and writ of the government can ensure the eradication of the menace of adulterated procucts.
ABDUL SAMAD SAMO,
Karachi, March 5.