ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has suspended Dr. Yousaf Zafar, Vice President of the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC) and former Chairman of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), along with the current Chairman of PARC, Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali, over poor performance. The suspension follows allegations of negligence, inefficiency, and failure to conduct critical research on developing pest- and heat-resistant cotton varieties using genetic engineering.
As per insiders the decision came a day after Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali was awarded the Sitar-e-Imtiaz on March 23, 2025, for his services in agricultural research. However, during a visit to the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) in Islamabad, the Prime Minister was reportedly dismayed to find research activities focused only on economically less important crops, while cotton research remained neglected. Upon inquiry, Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali revealed that Dr. Yousaf Zafar had restricted PARC from conducting cotton research, claiming it fell under the mandate of the National Institute for Genomics and Advanced Biotechnology (NIGAB). This revelation infuriated the Prime Minister, as it effectively meant that key agricultural institutions had been ignoring cotton research for years.
On March 25, 2025, the Prime Minister summoned an emergency meeting at 9 a.m to review the performance of PARC and PCCC. Expressing his anger over misleading reports and a lack of progress in cotton research, he ordered the immediate suspension of Dr. Yousaf Zafar and Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali, citing their failure to develop high-yield cotton varieties and their role in preventing PARC from conducting cotton research without any legal justification. Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanvir Hussain, and Waseem Ajmal Chaudhry, Secretary of the Ministry, attempted to defend both officials. However, the Prime Minister dismissed their explanations and walked out of the meeting in frustration. While Dr. Zafar attempted to resign preemptively, the Prime Minister refused to accept his resignation, insisting on a full inquiry into his tenure.
Sources within the agricultural sector reveal that Dr. Yousaf Zafar has long been accused of manipulating agricultural policies through fabricated reports, influencing decision-makers for personal and political gains. His tenure in key positions—including Director of NIGAB, Project Director of NIGAB, and Chairman of PARC—has been riddled with allegations of mismanagement, corruption, and inefficiency. Some of the most serious allegations against him include blocking cotton research at PARC while allowing NIGAB to monopolize the sector, fraudulently selling counterfeit cotton seeds at exorbitant prices (reportedly between Rs. 500,000 and Rs. 1 million per bag), and accepting bribes to alter agricultural research reports and facilitate the import of genetically modified (GMO) crops without proper safety assessments.
After retiring, Dr. Yousaf Zafar reportedly worked as a consultant for oilseed importers, lobbying for the import of GMO soybeans without local biosafety studies. He failed to convince the Ministry of National Food Security & Research (MoNFS&R) and the Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) to approve unrestricted GMO imports. However, during the caretaker government, he allegedly brokered a deal involving former caretaker Federal Minister Dr. Kausar Abdullah Malik, former Secretary Capt. (Retd.) Muhammad Mehmood, and Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) officials. The deal led to controversial amendments to the Pakistan Biosafety Rules, 2005, allowing GMO soybean imports without local risk assessments. It is alleged that US exporters and the All Pakistan Oilseed Extraction Association (APSEA) paid over Rs. 500 million in bribes to facilitate these illegal amendments. Dr. Zafar is also accused of lobbying to exempt GMO soybeans from fumigation requirements in Pakistan, despite the availability of alternative treatment methods like heat treatment, controlled atmosphere treatment, and gamma irradiation.
Under Dr. Yousaf Zafar’s tenure as Director of NIBGE, Pakistan’s cotton production declined from 13 million bales to 8 million bales, primarily due to ineffective research and the sale of substandard seeds. As Chairman of PARC, he banned cotton research at NARC and other PARC-led institutes, allegedly to protect the interests of certain breeders selling fake IR cotton varieties at exorbitant prices. By the time of his retirement, Pakistan’s cotton production had further declined to 5.5 million bales.
During his tenure as Vice President of PCCC, Dr. Zafar allegedly obstructed research on cotton at NARC to protect his monopoly, distributed trial seed varieties among officials and politicians to secure lucrative postings, and engaged in illegal sales of new cotton seed varieties, reportedly at massive profits. It is also alleged that he took experimental bags of different new cotton seed varieties from research institutions under the pretext of gifting them to high-ranking officials and politicians but instead sold them to farmers at exorbitant prices.
Farmers across Pakistan have called on the Prime Minister to take strict criminal action against Dr. Yousaf Zafar, citing his role in damaging Pakistan’s cotton industry, restricting critical research, and turning NIBGE, PARC, and PCCC into ineffective institutions. They argue that two decades ago, when Dr. Zafar began his tenure, cotton production stood at 14 million bales, but under his watch, it has collapsed to 5.5 million bales—a severe blow to Pakistan’s economy and the livelihoods of millions of farmers. The Prime Minister’s decision to suspend Dr. Zafar and Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali is seen as a long-overdue step towards accountability in the agricultural sector. However, experts emphasize that a thorough investigation is necessary to uncover the full extent of corruption and ensure that those responsible face legal consequences.
Dr. Yousaf Zafar Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali,
SIR, I participated with Members NARC event. I’m VPresident ,officiating President Potato Vegetable Fruit Growers Cooperative Society Okara. EVENT WAS SEED POTATO, POTATO FARMERS V PRESIDENT WAS ON 8TH LINE. NO AWARD WAS DELIVERED TO ANY FARMER,EVENT WAS AGRICULTURE. NO POTATO FARMERS WAS IN STALL VISIT. WITH P M .