However, three police ranges remained aloof in tracing a single clue into dacoities despite the availability of large security network, said medicine trader bodies office bearers.
The Pakistan Pharmaceutical Distributors Association (PPDA) sources revealed that 23 vans were robbed in Multan out of 35 and cases were registered with respective police stations but police failed in tracing a clue. The PPDA secretary general Mian Ayub Siddiqui said that Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has been sent appeals and reminders about continuous increase in dacoities but he did not take any notice.
Four organisations include Pakistan Chemist and Druggists Association, Pakistan Chemists Retailer Association, Pakistan Pharmaceutical Wholesale Council and Pakistan Distributors Association observed token shutter down and took out a protest rally from Chowk Ghantha Ghar, which was culminated at Chowk Kutchery in this connection on Wednesday.
Office bearers of pharmaceutical bodies who lead the rally were including Muhammad Akhtar Butt, Mian Ayub Ali Siddiqui, Khawaja Farooq Shahzad and other. They hold dialogues with acting Multan DPO Nizam Shahid Durani, SDPO Habib Ahmed Khan and police officials assured them for their co-operation and tracing dacoits soon. Medicine trader bodies said that they had launched their first phase of protest movement for one weak against clueless dacoities while life saving drugs supply would be disconnected in the second phase if their complaints were not entertained properly.
Multan police record shows registration of 23 cases with 13 police stations include Gulgasht, Alpha, Purani Kotwali, Jehania, Makhdoom Rashid, Qutubpur, New Multan, Mumtazabad, Muzaffarabad, Lohari gate and Cantonment police station. Highest dacoities rate remained high in the jurisdiction of Gulgasht police where four cases of medicine vans robbery were registered including Baloch Enterprises dacoity, which shocked Rs 1,75,000,00. Six vans were looted three to each in the area of Mumtazabad and Alpha police but not single dacoity clue could be traced out.
South Punjab PCDA chairman Akhtar Butt strongly condemned police negligence and said police have failed to protect medicine dealers, protecting their supplies in South Punjab. Butt said that dacoits, robbers have clutched the entire South Punjab in their grip and the medicine dealers were feeling critical insecurity.
Acting Multan DPO Nizam Shahid Durani held dialogues with protest rally participants and assured his complete co-operation for tracing out dacoities.