RAWALPINDI - Former Director Danas Pharmaceutical Company Rizwan Khan, an accused, has become approver in the Ephedrine quota case.

“The PPP-led government appointed Zafar Abbas Lakh as Federal Secretary Ministry of Narcotics Control to spoil the case of allocation of illegal quota of the chemical Ephedrine and later its smuggling to Iran as well as to save the skin of the near and dear ones of PPP stalwarts,” was the statement of Rizwan Khan, he submitted before the Special Anti-Narcotics Force Court Judge Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry through an affidavit to legally become witness against the other accused in the Ephedrine smuggling case here on Thursday.
The other accused in Ephedrine case included Syed Ali Musa Gilani, an MNA from Multan and son of the ousted Premier Syed Yusaf Raza Gilani, former Federal Minister for Health Makhdoom Shihabuddin and former Secretary Health Khushnud Akhter Lashari.
ANF Joint Director Legal Col (retd) Baseer and Special Public Prosecutor Waseem Ahmed Qureshi were also present in the court.
At one stage, Judge Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry asked Rizwan Khan to hire his counsel but the approver refused to get the services of any lawyer saying, “I myself will handle the case.”
Rizwan also said no when the judge asked as if he was pressurized by any quarter or ANF officials to become an approver against other accused in the case.   Former Director Danas Pharma Rizwan Khan, in his statement, claimed that on February 14, 2012 Zafar Abbas Lakh in his capacity of Secretary Narcotics Control had declared the allocation of huge of Ephedrine for export purpose and later its conversion for local consumption as the matter falling under the Drug Act and sought the opinion of Secretary Law on the issue. 
The approver added that the conversion of 9000-kg Ephedrine a controlled chemical into local consumption was made possible through the then Federal Health Minister Makhdoom Shihabuddin, Syed Ali Musa Gilani and his front man Tauqeer Khan.
Rizwan, whose stunning revelations have created unrest in the PPP camps, said that all the chemical, got from Islamabad in 2010, was smuggled by Iftikhar Khan in collaboration with two international smugglers Kaka Khan and Aziz Mehmood Hussaini to Iran via Taftan from Quetta.  According to him, the total of cost of smuggled Ephedrine in international market was Rs 7 billion. He added that Ansar Farooq and Tahir-ul-Wadood Lahoti, the Co-Owners of Danas Pharmaceutical opened a joint account in Bank Al-Falah I-8 Islamabad Branch to receive the money earned through smuggling.
Rizwan Khan, while unveiling some more faces, claimed that Ibrahim Muhamamd Ikhlas along with Haji Siddiq and Haji Dilawar were also involved in smuggling the Ephedrine under the garb of export of rice. They had their offices at Dalbadin, Quetta and Karachi.
“These men have been smuggling Ephedrine on large scale using different names to the controlled chemical such as Thoroa, Tarkha and Hassar” the approver mentioned in his statement.  The approver also said that a total of Rs 6 million were doled out among different health officials and former Director Generals of Ministry of Health Dr Raheed Jumma and Asad Hafeez, who had issued the allocation and conversion of the quota of Ephedrine.  While blasting Syed Ali Musa Gilani, Rizwan Khan stated that some persons had also got favours from different ministers through Ali Musa Gillani and his front man Tauqeer Khan such as in the fields of medicine, getting permits for tinted vehicle glasses from Ministry of Interior and arm licenses. 
In the affidavit, Rizwan also claimed that Tahir Lahoti in 2011 once again tried to obtain 1000 kg Ephedrine but then DG Health Asad Hafeez refused to give him the chemical.
However, Syed Ali Musa Gilani jumped into the arena and exhorted pressure on DG to allocate the quota to Tahir Lahoti.
Succumbing the pressure, DG moved the application to the then Secretary Health Nargis Sethi but she also thrown the application into dustbin saying “She is asked to do an illegal work” Rizwan stated in the affidavit. He added that DG Hafeez also faced a strong opposition from his subordinates in this regard.