As a result of the first case of HIV / AIDS, diagnosed in Pakistan (1987), a research study was initiated to determine the status of HIV AIDS in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Surprisingly, in a group of 956 (High risk) individuals, using ELISA and Western Blot (WB) techniques, seven (7) HIV-1 and four (4) HIV-2 cases were screened out, whereas, sixteen (16) individuals were found out as Indeterminate cases [ref: 1]

This study, later, was transformed into deliberate research efforts aimed at discovering treatment far HIV AIDS pandemic spreading fast in the world.

The alarming incidence of HIV exposure in Asia was a source of motivation to find out some real effective anti-HIV drug from indigenous traditional medicines / plants resources (in the light of Hadith narrated in the start). The World Health Organization (WHO) was contacted in this respect and our Drug Abuse Treatment Center at Karachi [ref: 2] was listed with WHO [ref: 3], was listed with WHO [ref: 3], was the only Government recognized center engaged in research on Drug Abuse AIDS Treatment in Pakistan. [ref: 4] at that time.

In 1994, a Medical Research Collaborative Project was initiated between the Ministry of Health, Government of Japan and Pakistan, entitled: “Epidemiological Studies on Viral Infections through Blood Transfusion in Asian Countries” for which Dr. Muhammad Rafiq and later on Dr. Asim Awan were selected as members of the Project by the Japanese Government. Nagoya University, School of Medicine [ref: 5 & 6], Under this project, Government of Japan offered to extend the research facilities for anti HIV drug screening. [ref: 7]