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Hamdard Pakistan says not selling Rooh Afza in India after Delhi High Court imposes ban

In this photograph taken on April 28, 2022, a vendor displays Rooh Afza beverage bottles to customers at a market in Karachi. (AFP/FILE)
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Updated 16 November 2022
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Hamdard Pakistan says not selling Rooh Afza in India after Delhi High Court imposes ban

  • A Hamdard representative in Pakistan maintains Indian court’s decision will have ‘zero impact’ on the company business
  • The court took up the case after Hamdard India said the Pakistani brand of the product was sold on e-commerce websites
Updated 16 November 2022
Aamir Saeed delete Sanjay Kumar

ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: A Pakistani company, which manufactures herbal medicines and other commodities, distanced itself on Wednesday from a ban on the sale of one of its most popular products in India which, it said, was marketed by individuals in Dubai through various e-commerce platforms. 

A representative at Hamdard Pakistan said this in response to questions by Arab News after the Delhi High Court “permanently restrained” Amazon India from selling Rooh Afza beverage produced in Pakistan. 

A rose-flavored concentrate of herbs, fruits and flowers, the drink is popular throughout South Asia where it is mostly consumed during summer. Rooh Afza also becomes a staple item in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan when people mix it with milk or water before serving it with the sunset iftar meal. 
The drink was first introduced in 1906 by Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed in New Delhi, though its ownership rights were split after partition in 1947 since Majeed’s elder son remained in India while the younger one moved to Pakistan. 
Today, Hamdard National Foundation, India, and Hamdard Laboratories, Pakistan, manufacture the product in their respective national domains while the Rooh Afza trademark is registered in both countries.
The high court in New Delhi issued its verdict after the product’s owner in India filed a suit, saying the beverage produced in Pakistan was being sold through Amazon India. 
“Hamdard Pakistan has got nothing to do with the ban on Rooh Afza in India as the company does not export its product to that country,” Faiz Ullah Jawad, the company’s marketing and business development director, told Arab News on Wednesday. 
“Some individuals sell our product on different e-commerce platforms from Dubai on their own because the quality of our product is much better than the one available in India,” he continued. 
Jawad clarified that Hamdard Pakistan was “never involved” in any business with India since “that is neither our domain nor we sell our products in that country.” 
“We don’t even know who these sellers are who have been banned from selling Rooh Afza in India,” he added. 
Jawad maintained the court’s decision would have “zero impact on our business in the international market,” adding it was India’s choice if it wanted to ban the product manufactured in Pakistan or not. 
It may be recalled that Hamdard India pointed out in its complaint that the product manufactured by Hamdard Laboratories, Pakistan, was sold on the e-commerce website, though it did not carry the address of the manufacturer. 
“It is not clear as to how these products are being imported from Pakistan when clearly the Plaintiffs [Hamdard India] have statutory rights in the marks in India,” the court observed. 
It also expressed “surprise” that an imported product was sold by Amazon India “without the complete details of the manufacturer being disclosed.” 
President of the Confederation of All India Traders Praveen Khandelwal asked the administration in New Delhi to make it mandatory for e-commerce platforms to specify the country of origin with every product available of their website. 
“It’s a very serious matter,” he told Arab News. “Amazon India is a habitual law offender. It is not only selling Pakistani but also Chinese goods.” 

Topics: Pakistan India Rooh Afza

Pakistan urges UN Security Council to sanction separatist BLA group after recent attacks

Updated 05 February 2026
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Pakistan urges UN Security Council to sanction separatist BLA group after recent attacks

  • Separatist BLA launched attacks in multiple Balochistan cities last week, killing over 50 as per official figures
  • Pakistan envoy says since Taliban assumed control of Afghanistan, BLA, other militant groups have a “new lease of life“
Updated 05 February 2026
Kashaf Rehman

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Iftikhar Ahmed this week urged the Security Council to impose sanctions against the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militant group and designate it as a “terrorist” group, after its recent coordinated attacks in southwestern Balochistan province. 

Pakistan’s military said on Thursday it has concluded security operations in Balochistan against separatists that was launched since Jan. 29, killing 216 militants. The military launched counteroffensive operations in Balochistan after the BLA said it launched coordinated attacks in several parts of the province last Friday and Saturday. 

The attacks killed 36 civilians and 22 law enforcement and security forces personnel, Pakistan’s military said. Pakistan’s government has accused India of being involved in the attacks, charges that New Delhi has dismissed. 

“We hope the Council will act swiftly to designate BLA under the 1267 sanctions regime acceding to the listing request that is currently under consideration,” Iftikhar said on Wednesday during a UNSC briefing on the topic ‘Threats to International Peace and Security caused by Terrorist Acts.’

The 1267 sanctions regime is a UNSC program that seeks to impose sanctions on individuals and entities associated with “terrorism.”

The regime seeks to impose travel bans, freeze assets and impose an arms embargo on individuals and groups primarily associated with Al-Qaeda or the Taliban. 

Ahmad said that after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, “externally sponsored and foreign-funded proxy terrorist groups” such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the BLA have got a “new lease of life.”

“Operating with virtual impunity from Afghan soil and with the active support of our eastern neighbor, these groups are responsible for heinous terrorist attacks inside Pakistan,” he said. 

The Pakistani envoy said it has become imperative to prevent billions of dollars of sophisticated weapons and equipment, which were left behind by foreign forces in Afghanistan, “from falling into the hands of terrorists.”

“There must be accountability of external destabilizing actors who support, finance and arm these groups, including their proxies in Afghanistan,” Ahmad said in a veiled reference to India. 

Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, mineral-rich Balochistan borders Iran and ‌Afghanistan and is home to China’s investment in the Gwadar deep-water ‍port and other projects.

Balochistan has been the site of a ‍decades-long insurgency led by ethnic Baloch separatists seeking greater autonomy and a larger share of its natural ‍resources. 

They accuse the state of denying locals a fair share of the province’s mineral wealth, charges that are denied by the Pakistani government. 

Topics: UNGA Asim Iftikhar Ahmed

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