The Coimbatore-based Arya Vaidya Pharmacy Ltd’s (AVP) plan to venture into Pakistan would be delayed by some more months as the Pakistan government has denied work permits to the people who are supposed to work in the proposed Ayurveda center. Now, the final decision will be taken only after detailed discussions with the Indian Government.

According to sources in the AVP, the Pakistan government officials had said, that ties with private institution would be taken into consideration only after the MoU with the Indian Government is finalized. A meeting between the two governments in this connection will be held in February. Later, a team of AVP officials will leave for Pakistan and at a later stage a team from Pakistan will also come to India to study the different aspects of the proposal.

“The visa processing has been held back as the Pakistan government has denied work permits to Indian citizens citing security reasons. They said that only after both the governments discuss the various issues in the MoU will they take up the issue of the private institutions like ours setting up treatment centers there,” said an informed source.

He said, that since ayurveda was a new science for their country, they need some time to understand the concept and practice of the Indian system of medicine. Unlike allopathic, ayurveda is not familiar with the people of Pakistan. Hence AVP wanted to start the practice of ayurveda in Pakistan in a legalized manner.

Sources said, that AVP has also written to AYUSH for carrying out the project, but it has expressed its reservations in helping a private organization in setting up treatment centers in Pakistan. “If our company goes to Pakistan and sets up a center there, then it would open doors for other companies too. Such a move is needed to raise Ayurveda to multi-national level,” said the source.

As Pharmabiz had reported earlier, AVP would be studying the feasibility of launching its entire range of products in Pakistan and starting a center there. The ayurveda treatment center proposed to be set up in Pakistan by AVP in collaboration with the Karachi-based Mehrunnisa Welfare Trust would be the first recognized Ayurveda hospital in Pakistan.