Exports/imports activities halted for non-availability DPP staff at ports
DG, DPP suspended, given charge to a junior officer
ISLAMABAD: In an unexpected turn of events, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) conducted a raid headquarter of Department of Plant Protection (DPP) in Karachi and arrested around nine inspectors of the department ultimately causing complete suspension of export/import activities of agriculture goods at ports.
This development comes as part of a broader investigation into the recent interceptions of Pakistani rice shipments at European Union ports due to contamination with food safety risks i.e., Pesticide Residues (MRL), Mycotoxins (aflatoxin), Mineral Oil (MOAH, MOSH), genetically modified organism (GMO) and other toxic contaminants.
As per reliable sources, FIA Karachi has not only raided the department but earlier it raided the official residence of Dr. Muhammad Tariq Khan, Director General of DPP allegedly without a search warrant and registered case. FIA officials entered Dr. Khan’s residence forcibly, subsequently harassing his family and conducting a detailed search of the premises. The raid involving team of FIA including two lady sub-inspectors and man personnels, led by Malik Junaid Hassan, Inspector of FIA, Corporate Crime Circle (CCC) and reportedly took place between midnight of Thursday and Friday.
Background of the Investigation
The raid follows a directive from Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Mian Shehbaz Sharif, who ordered the arrest of those responsible for issuing phytosanitary certificates without verification of food safety risks on the recommendation of the enquiry committee, in a meeting held in premier office in Thursday evening on rice interception at EU ports.
A committee, led by retired bureaucrat Mr. Shahid Ali Khan and composed of both retired and serving bureaucrats but notably without representation of any expert in Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS measures), recently investigated the root causes of 72 interceptions of Pakistani rice shipments at European Union ports on the directive of the premier. The premier got provoked from the letter of Omar Hameed, Economic Minister, Embassy of Pakistan, Brussel that reported 72 interceptions of Pakistani rice shipments with food safety risks at different EU port and asked for corrective actions.
Despite this, the food safety measures did not fall within mandate of the DPP, it rather falls within mandate of Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination and it has appointed codex point for Codex Alimentarius Commission and the same is displayed on website of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and after 18th Constitutional Amendment, food safety subject has been devolved to the provinces and no federal legislation with respect to food safety prevailed, it assumed —without evidence —out of 72 interception of rice, 46 interception of Pakistani rice shipments were occurred due to issuance of 46 phytosanitary certificates by 17 officers of the DPP, without ensuring necessary laboratory reports from the exporters that corroborated freedom of food safety risk in the certified shipment and this non-compliances were happened in collusion with exporters. Interestingly, the committee did not recommend criminal actions against the rice exporters that connived with the officers of the DPP for issuing of defective certification and compromised the integrity of these shipments and standard procedures.
The officials —including Fakhar-u-Zaman, Muhammad Waleed Mukhtar, Shahzad Salman, Muhammad Shahzaib, Shabi ul Hasnain, Abdul Rehman, Faisal Manzoor, Akbar Sajjad, Sail ul Islam, Sohail Ahmed, Umer Musaab, Muhammad Mujeeb, Amanullah, Azeem Javed, Mansoor Karim, Muhammad Usman, and Tetheer Zahra, culpable for bypassing necessary documentation along with DPPQ-Form-27 (Application for phytosanitary certification), biosecurity inspection, compliance procedure (field inspection during the growing season, regular inspections of facilities and premises, laboratory testing, verification of treatment, visual inspection of the product, verification of survey results or distribution of pests, etc., or any combination thereof), leading to interception were nominated in FIR.
However, the committee did not propose action against those officers that issued phytosanitary certificates to remaining 26 intercepted rice shipments based on receiving complete documents but did not follow complete compliance procedure.
Out of the nominated inspectors of DPP in the fresh FIR, notable officials, Fakhar u Zaman, Muhammad Waleed Mukhtar, and Shahzad Salman have come under scrutiny once again as they are already implicated in Karachi FIA’s Corporate Crime Circle FIR No. 4/2024, dated 23-02-2024 along with Dr. Muhammad Qasim Khan Kakar, Director Admin in DPP (who is on deputation from Balochistan Agriculture Research Institute, Quetta).
FIA’s Actions
According to reliable sources, subsequent to the Prime Minister’s order Ali Tahir, the Secretary of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research in Thursday evening initiated a complaint with the Director General of the FIA, seeking the registration of a criminal case against 17 officers from the DPP, accused of issuing phytosanitary certificates without obtaining the required documents from exporters apparently just to placate the premier without considering its implications on the DPP and effect on integrity of Pakistan’s Biosecurity System among international community particularly in EU. EU may impose ban on import from Pakistan like ban on PIA flight operation to EU countries after a minister’s statement regarding fake degrees of piolets.
Following the complaint, FIA started conducting raids from Thursday midnight to capture the DPP employees even allegedly without fulfilling legal formalities.
Later, on Friday at about 11:55 am, the FIA’s Anti-Corruption Circle in Karachi registered an FIR 40/2024, against the implicated officers, invoking several sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act and to justify arrest of some of the officials earlier during midnight and to avoid any habeas corpus petition. These actions suggest allegations of forgery, fraud, and criminal misconduct, though insiders of FIA indicate that these charges may not be fully applicable.
Some officials at at MNFSR and the DPP believe these sections could not be applicable in this context, and these have been just incorporated in FIR to make FIR interesting and cognizable for FIA and make premier happy. According to them the officers in question were legally authorized to issue phytosanitary certificates, and they have not made any forgery in phytosanitary certificate. How would offence of fraud be made out before court when the exporter did not file any complaint containing charges of fraud against the officers of the DPP instead REAP denied such allegations. It is merely a procedural lapse due to dealing of phytosanitary certification by just four officers of the DPP for inspection and compliance procedure as a result of worst shortage of qualified experts for them. Further, as food safety inspection, testing and certification do not fall within mandate of the DPP nor any federal law prevails for it, how could the officials without any such mandate and law be responsible for such violations.
Interceptions are a common occurrence in international trade for various reasons. India, China, USA, Thailand have even more interception in EU due to their strict food safety standards despite having best institutional regulatory and human resource framework.
When contacted different sources within the ministry, it came to know that notably, 26 rice shipments with the appropriate documentation were issued phytosanitary certificate by the authorized officers and even they were also intercepted at EU ports, indicating that these interceptions are not solely due to officers’ negligence or misconduct. Contrary to it, some rice shipments without appropriate documents were issued phytosanitary certificates in last July and August but these were not even intercepted at EU ports. These documents could not be served as food safety measures until or unless the commodity is personally inspected and sampled by the authorized officer of the DPP and tested from the DPP notified laboratory.
Section 8 of Pakistan Plant Quarantine Act 1976 provides them indemnity and only disciplinary proceedings may lie against them if it is not established that their action is motivated by bribe and malafide.
According to sources, the agency has arrested nine Entomologists of the DPP, including Muhammad Mujeeb, Mansoor Karim, Sohail Ahmed, Fakhar u Zaman, Shahzad Salman, Muhammad Waleed Mukhtar, Muhammad Shahzaib, Akbar Sajjad and Muhammad Usman by conducting raids at Karachi, Mirpurkhas, Multan, Sargodha, Bhalwal and Balochistan.
What caused the FIA action?
Sources inside the MNFSR revealed that the committee did not take into account the DPP’s explanation that its mandate does not cover food safety inspections, compliance procedure and certifications under law, which rather fall under provincial food safety authorities and Federal Health Ministry. Responsibility for managing Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) at the farm level lies with provincial agriculture departments, while the onus for controlling aflatoxin levels in rice shipments rests with exporters during storage, processing, packaging, and transportation processes. The DPP is only responsible for inspection and certification of importable and exportable agriculture commodities with respect to plants health and phytosanitary measures rather food safety and food safety measures.
Furthermore, the committee disregarded this fact that the Ministry of Commerce under Suleh Farooqui as Secretary, Mr. Sakeel Ahmed Mangnejo as Additional Secretary and Ministry of National Food Security and Research under Zaffar Hassan as Secretary had taken policy decision and allowed rice exporters to follow compliance procedure regarding MRL, aflatoxins, and heavy metals by their own by limiting role of the DPP to the extent of visual inspection and issuing phytosanitary certificates.
The committee also did not take into account DPP explanation that out of 72 interceptions, one interception with red flour beetle at the port of Netherland was relevant to the DPP while the exporters were responsible for all other interceptions.
It is also learnt that Secretary MNFSR Ali Tahir could not convince the premier that compliance procedure for food safety measures does not fall within mandate of the DPP and even present strength of the DPP is far less than required to conduct compliance procedure for phytosanitary certification under law. Further, without concrete evidence of malfeasance or bribery, proceeding under criminal misconduct against the officials of the DPP could not be applicable. Instead, disciplinary proceedings in term of swift dismissal as per their contract was relevant. This, in turn, prompted the premier to prematurely order arrests of the technical officials of the DPP, even many left the DPP after culmination of their just three months contracts.
Serious and wider implications of FIA case:
The raids and arrests have stirred controversy within the government and the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) and other exporters and importers which has cautioned that such unlawful and coercive actions have induced fear among officials, leading to avoiding inspection and certification of goods destined to sensitive and high end market like EU or very stricter inspection and testing that possible lead to rejection of certification of consignment or most light reaction may lead to at least possibly delay-inducing inspections and certification. Exporters argue that without addressing root causes at the farm and supply chain levels, interceptions might persist and the officials of the DPP are not responsible for such interceptions.
The EU may either ban import from Pakistan due to doubted integrity of Pakistan Biosecurity System or impose rather strictest biosecurity import conditions including rigorous inspection including 100 percent sampling and testing of food items from Pakistan. Other countries can follow EU action for import of goods from Pakistan that would discourage export from Pakistan. The importer countries can introduce rather more strict biosecurity measures including pre-clearance i.e., monitoring of all biosecurity operation regarding Pakistani products by sending their own experts in Pakistan prior to import products from Pakistan that will increase cost of production and make exports infeasible for them in international markets.
The remaining qualified officers and officials have been got frightened and gone on leave and some have resigning from their posts and no one was available in the DPP on Friday and Saturday to conduct inspections and certification of imported and exported shipments and all goods were stranded at the port and choked the ports. Many could not load on the vessels and many offloaded for want of inspections and certification. No technical official in the DPP is ready to conduct inspections and certification.
The officials of the DPP are now suggesting to the Government to hand over the DPP to FIA to run its affairs and stop interceptions.
Latest Development
In a latest development, late on Friday, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research has also suspended Mr. Muhammad Tariq Khan, Director General, DPP for his administrative failure to take action against such unlawful practice adopted by the authorized officers and mitigate such interceptions and appointed Mr. Shahid Abdullah, junior Director Technical of the department. He is believed to be close to MNFSR top administration. There are senior officers of the department waiting for posting for the past over one year.
Sources inside the DPP revealed that Director General has time and again tried to implement the effective program of sampling and testing of rice shipments for verifying of foods safety risks through its inspector and its notified accreditated laboratory prior to issuance of phytosanitary certificates but the successive Secretaries and Ministers of the MNFSR did not allow such program and stopped the Director General of the DPP from implementing such action program due to interference of REAP, political influences, involvement of some government institutions compelling them to continue to issue phytosanitary certificates based on self-implemented measures of the exporters.
Like its long standing previous practice, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research once again has decided to appoint 15 officers of BS-17 in DPP on deputation as authorized officers from Sindh Agriculture Department and 10 officers of BS-17 from PARC on attachment in the DPP against 25 vacant posts which are waiting regular appointments through Federal Public Service Commission due to pending in MNFSR since past four years but the enquiry committee did not suggest any action against those responsible for that mess and degradation of the DPP. These officers don’t have regulatory plant quarantine experience and necessary trainings that would worsen the situation in future rather to address the core issues and trusting experienced and senior officers of the DPP.
Moreover, the lack of accountability for other systemic issues within the DPP, particularly concerning temporary appointments of non-technical and favourite officers by successive governments and successive secretaries, has yet to be addressed.
The situation has fueled further debates over the integrity of Pakistan’s agricultural export procedures, highlighting the need for structural reform and stringent monitoring to prevent similar occurrences in the future. As the FIA continues its probe into these allegations, all eyes are on the implicated officials and the broader impact on the country’s export reputation.
Role of REAP as member Enquiry Committee
As per insiders, REAP role in the current probe remained very pathetic revealed by the officials of the DPP. REAP failed to assert the enquiry committee that the authorized officers were only issuing phytosanitary certificate to the export consignment following policy decision of MoC and MNFSR based on self-food safety compliance procedure by the exporters due to lack of mandate by the DPP and necessary regulations to this effect. REAP new chairman also declared DPP poor institutional and regulatory framework responsible for all such interception.
REAP could not convince the enquiry committee and premier for their ever-highest export of more than 4 billion dollar during the year 2024 due to technical guidance and facilitation of the DPP.
Poor Institutional Framework of the DPP
Unfortunately, no government since 1947 paid heed to strengthening the DPP disregarding its importance as National Plant Protection Organization of Pakistan. The DPP is designated as national plant protection organisation of of Pakistan by the government under International Plant Protection Convention for regulating international trade of agricultural commodities with respect to sanitary and phytosanitary measures. Every government has been appointing its favourites disregarding specific qualification and relevant experience mostly officers from different cadre groups on deputation or on attachment to run its affairs despite this, the head of the DPP requires appointment of only those officers qualified in Entomology and Plant Pathology with regulatory experience of plant quarantine, pesticides standardization and registration, locust surveillance and management in accordance with international guidelines and treaties because priority of all those temporary appointed officers were other than to run the affairs of the DPP in accordance with law and strengthen the DPP and Pakistan’s Biosecurity System and promote Pakistan’s export. They always distorted the standard procedure for their vested interests.
While the committee’s report lacked evidence of bribery or malintent by the officers, the Prime Minister’s directive for their arrest underscores potential political pressures and a rigorous response to uphold Pakistan’s export reputation.
