LAHORE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz formally inaugurated the Punjab Agriculture, Food and Drug Authority (PAFDA) on Saturday described as ‘South Asia’s first and most advanced Punjab Science Enclave’, bringing hightech agriculture, food and drugtesting laboratories under one roof.
The inauguration also marked the launch of PAFDA’s laboratory operations, while the premier and the chief minister laid the foundation stone of a hostel project for women scientists.
The ceremony was attended by diplomats from 20 countries, whom the prime minister and the CMwelcomed.
In his address, Shehbaz Sharif commended Maryam Nawaz for her per-formance, awarding her ‘full marks’ and offering a symbolic salute.
The premier and the chief minister later visited various departments of PAFDA and reviewed its operations. They inspected agriculture, food and drug-testing laboratories and observed the sampling procedures being followed.
Director General PAFDA Dr Talat Naseer Pasha briefed the participants, stating that the authority had 232 scientists, most of them gold medallists, with women comprising 70 per cent of the workforce.
Scientists from other provinces are also working at the facility.
He said PAFDA would ensure quality standards for food, agriculture and pharmaceutical products, with capabilities including nutrient profiling, microbiological safety testing and verification of ingredients. The authority would reducereliance on foreign laboratories for quality certification and help restore international confidence in ‘Made in Pakistan’ products.
The briefing further stated that a high-tech drug testing laboratory had been established with technical assistance from England and Turkiye. With the establishment of the Punjab Science Enclave, agriculture, food and drug testing would now be available under one roof.
He said that 42 high-tech machines worth Rs4.4 billion had already been installed at PAFDA, while an additional 565 machines would be provided in the near future.
Officials said that under the Safe Punjab initiative, satellite crime scene units are being established in all 38 districts. A women scientists’ hostel, the first of its kind in the province, would be constructed at a cost of Rs2bn.