SINCERELY YOUR S
Dr. AKHLAQ HUSSAIN
Ex-Director General (Federal Seed Certification & Registration Department)
project director
Establishment of facilitation unit for
participatory vegetable seed and
nursery production programme.
House # 873 St # 34 G-10/1
Islamabad, Pakistan
Ph: 0092-051-2293164
Cell: 0092-300-5186541
Email: akhlaq7@hotmail.com
From: msarwar80@hotmail.com
To: joinpakistan@googlegroups.com
Subject: **JP** MONSANTO Lobbying for introducing Genetically Modified Crops in Pakistan
Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:31:40 +0600
Dear friends and colleagues
Below*** is an invitation and attached is program details sent out to the media by MEDIATORS which is the Public Relations (PR) agency for Monsanto.
The latest lobbying effort in the ongoing Biotech/genetically modified (GM) crops approval process in Pakistan is that media is being invited to attend a seminar/workshop in Indonesia. So in the next few months expect some very pro-GM crop stories in the media with examples from the Philippines, India, USA and rest of the World except, Pakistan since nothing actually has been done locally at the Govt., and private sector to analyze/verify the so called socio-economic or yield benefits of Bt corn/maize and Bt Cotton.
In 2007-8, then Federal Secretary Food & Agriculture Mr. Zia-ur-Rehman visited Monsanto headquarters at Creve Couve, Missouri, USA on the Company's invitation. Later a group of farmers was taken to the USA. In 2009, Punjab Govt., Advisor Haroon Khawaja visited St. Louis. In 2010, 6 Govt., officials visited the Philippines through Monsanto sponsored 'Biosafety Coalition 'BCP' of the Philippines'. In early 2011, Pioneer Seed Company brought in people from abroad to make some pro-Biotech statements and convince decision-makers just before launching its Bt Corn commercial approval process without even starting the large-scale open field trials. Now media is being taken to Indonesia in the name of capacity building regarding GM crops'.
So no wonder with such lobbying at work, about 2 months back, ex-Chairman of TAC sub-committee Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad thought it's OK to let Monsanto drafted reports be circulated among colleagues and recommend its word on face value without any analysis by the Pakistani regulators themselves.
The question is: What's wrong with us? We blame politicians of unethical behavior but conveniently forget the same when we are accepting sponsored visits from Corporate sector. Is blaming politicians correct then?
Throughout this effort of introducing Biotech or GM crops in Pakistan, multinational seed companies (especially Monsanto) have indulged in lobbying and such 'Sponsored' visits to influence decision makers and opinion makers. That is why instead of focusing on issues, all we hear is propaganda and quoting examples of Philippines, India etc., instead of any local data. Instead of focusing on conducting proper regulatory procedure, environmental due diligence and socio-economic benefits/disadvantages in local Pakistani conditions, corporate seed sector is trying to make puppets in all segments of Pakistani society who will speak their language and agenda. Media is the latest target of lobbying now.
Is Biotechnology so poor a technology that it requires lobbying and sponsored visits? Is ethics of any importance to regulators, media?
Media should stop blaming the politicians for wrong-doings, if it can accept visits sponsored by Corporate entities, what's wrong with politicians doing what they do.
3 cheers for tireless flouting of regulatory process and related ethics, by the multinational/Corporate seed companies, to get Biotech approvals in Pakistan.
Regards
Ijaz Ahmad Rao
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Email from Monsanto (PR) agency MEDIATORS
***
Subject: Invitation for Media Capacity building workshop
> XXXX,
> Editor,
> XXXX
> XXXX
>
> Dear
> XXXX,
As discussed on telephone on behalf of our client Monsanto Pakistan Agritech Limited, we would request you to kindly nominate a senior reporter / feature writer on agriculture based in Lahore for capacity building to attend a workshop on :
Status, Impacts and Future Prospects of Agri-biotechnology in a Changing Climate. It is a Regional Workshop for Media Practitioners from July 20-22, 2011 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The workshop is organized by BIOTROP, Bogor, Indonesia. Other organizers and sponsors of this workshop are SEAMEO Southeast Asian Regional Center on Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), SEAMEO Regional Center for Tropical Biology (BIOTROP), the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA)and the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II (ABSPII), Indonesian Biotechnology Information Center (IndoBIC) and Crop Life Asia(CLA)Please note that Air-fare and accomodation would be covered by our client.
Kindly let us have the name and contact details of your nominee as soon as possible as we have to arrange Visas and make other necessary travel arrangements. Please note that your nominee must have a valid passport with at least six months validity.
A copy of the Workshop program is attached for your attention.
We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest
Kind Regards
Babar Ayaz
Mediators
10-11, Mezzanine Floor, Progressive Plaza, Beaumont Road, Karachi
00-92-21-5656177
Muhammad Boota Sarwar
H#193, Street#42
Margala Town, Phase II
Islamabad.
Ph#0519241485
Cell#03003003405
Email:msarwar80@hotmail.com
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