ISLAMABAD – Pharmacists working under multiple drug sale licences in Islamabad could face serious legal trouble as health authorities start fresh crackdown on licensing violations, warning that a single professional registration cannot be used to obtain multiple licences.
Pharmacy Services and Drug Control (PS&DC) Wing of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Health Department has issued a stern advisory, declaring the practice of securing multiple Drug Sale Licences (DSLs) against one professional registration illegal and a violation of professional ethics.
The warning puts pharmacists and pharmacy operators on notice that violations could trigger licence cancellations, disciplinary proceedings, and other regulatory action under applicable laws.
Islamabad’s health authorities made it clear that pharmacists must restrict their licensing arrangements to a single drug sale licence linked to their professional registration. The department has warned against using the same credentials to obtain or maintain multiple licences, describing such arrangements as legally impermissible and professionally unacceptable.
Pharmacists have been directed to provide accurate personal and professional information when applying for licences, with particular emphasis on declaring previous and existing associations with pharmacies and medical stores.
Any attempt to conceal relevant facts, submit misleading documents, or bypass licensing requirements could result in action by the competent authorities. Officials have stressed that professional registration must not be misused to facilitate unauthorised pharmaceutical business operations.
The latest warning follows an earlier initiative launched in October 2026, when the PS&DC Wing introduced stricter disclosure requirements for pharmacists and qualified persons seeking drug sale licences in Islamabad.
Under those directions, applicants must reveal their present and past professional engagements associated with drug sale licences, whether located in Islamabad or elsewhere in Pakistan.
This means a pharmacist applying for a licence in the federal capital cannot conceal an existing licensing association in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, or another jurisdiction. To detect irregularities, the department is coordinating with relevant drug regulatory bodies and Pharmacy Councils to cross-check professional records and licensing information.
Applicants found submitting false declarations or withholding details of existing engagements risk having their applications rejected or their licences cancelled. Serious cases may also be forwarded to the relevant Pharmacy Council for disciplinary proceedings.
Doctors running Pharmacies under watch
Islamabad’s health authorities also issued an urgent warning to Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) operating pharmacies and medical stores without the required authorisation. The directive followed a Federal Constitutional Court judgment delivered on September 23, 2026, in case C.P.L.A. 538-P/2023.
According to the department’s interpretation of the ruling, doctors conducting commercial sales of medicines must possess valid Drug Sale Licences. However, the applicable rules continue to provide limited exemptions for doctors maintaining medicine stocks exclusively for dispensing to their own patients, where legally permitted.
Authorities have clarified that such exemptions cannot be used as a substitute for a licence to operate a commercial pharmacy or medical store. Pharmaceutical distributors have also been instructed not to supply medicines to businesses lacking valid licensing documentation.
Enforcement measures have included the sealing of establishments found operating without the necessary authorisation.
The government has also stepped up regulatory supervision of pharmaceutical businesses in the federal capital. Inspections and compliance checks are targeting several violations, including unlicensed medicine sales, the availability of unregistered pharmaceutical products, and the sale of medicines above permitted prices.
PS&DC Wing has also emphasised the role of qualified pharmacists in ensuring patient safety, particularly through prescription review, responsible dispensing, and appropriate patient counselling. These measures are intended to strengthen professional accountability and ensure that pharmacies are not merely using registered pharmacists’ credentials to fulfil paperwork requirements without meeting their regulatory responsibilities.
Authorities have urged pharmacy professionals to preserve the credibility of their profession by maintaining transparency, following licensing conditions, and observing ethical standards.
