By Dr. Ansab Ali
Lahore, Pakistan

LAHORE: Kashif Aslam Malik, Chairman of the Pakistan Association of Alternative Medicine (PAAM), has rejected the proposed DRAP Rules 2026, describing them as an unscientific move against Pakistan’s alternative medicine sector, including homeopathy, Unani medicine and the local alternative pharmaceutical industry.

He alleged that the allopathic pharmaceutical bureaucracy within the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) was attempting to impose its regulatory framework on the alternative medicine sector without adequate consideration of the specialised nature of these disciplines.

Kashif Aslam Malik said the five-year Pharm.D curriculum did not provide specialised education and technical training in areas such as homeopathic potentisation, Unani herbal formulations and nutraceutical manufacturing. He questioned the scientific and technical basis for allowing professionals without specialised training in these fields to formulate regulatory policies for the alternative medicine sector.

He stressed that, under the principle of “right expertise for the right job,” the regulatory framework, registration procedures and licensing mechanisms for alternative medicines should be developed under the supervision of qualified specialists in homeopathy, Unani medicine and nutraceutical sciences.

He warned that the proposed rules and what he termed rigid allopathic SOPs could severely affect small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the sector. According to him, the measures could lead to the closure of a large number of businesses, unemployment among homeopathic doctors, Unani practitioners and industrial workers, and reduced access to affordable healthcare options.

PAAM demanded an immediate halt to the proposed rules and called for the formation of a committee comprising qualified experts from the alternative medicine sector to review and formulate an appropriate regulatory framework.

The association also demanded the establishment of an independent authority for alternative medicines, modelled on India’s Ministry of AYUSH.

Kashif Aslam Malik warned that if DRAP proceeded with the proposed rules, PAAM would mobilise industry stakeholders and pursue the matter through the media, judiciary and other public forums.

Note: The allegations and claims in this report are attributed to Kashif Aslam Malik and PAAM.