IHC issues notices on sugar farmer plea

Petition clubbed with the inquiry commission report case

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday issued notices to respondents on a miscellaneous petition filed by a sugarcane farmer who wanted to become a party to the case pertaining to FIA-led commission’s report on the sugar crisis in the country.

The petition, filed by sugarcane farmer Ahsan Abid Raees from Rahimyar Khan, stated that farmers, who had been targeted the most by the sugar mafia, should also be heard in the court.

It maintained that the sugar mafia had infringed on the rights of the petitioner, and that the mafia’s actions were in violation of rights preserved by Article 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan.

The court ordered that the miscellaneous plea be clubbed with the main petition and adjourned the hearing till June 19.

A day earlier, the IHC, after no objection from the federation, had accepted the petition filed by the sugarcane farmer.

On June 10, the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) and 17 other mill owners – including PTI stalwart Jahangir Khan Tareen – had challenged the inquiry commission report in the IHC, alleging that legal formalities were not fulfilled during investigations.

In its report, the commission accused the sugar mill owners of earning illegal profits to the tune of tens of billions of rupees through unjustified price hikes, benami transactions, tax evasion, misuse of subsidy and purchasing sugarcane off the books.

The IHC issued an interim stay order, temporarily restricting the government from acting on the recommendations of the sugar inquiry commission report.

Mill owners were directed to fix the price of sugar at Rs70 per kg during this time, and they assured the court of the same.

However, the IHC on Tuesday hinted at lifting the stay order after observing that PSMA had refused to supply the commodity to markets across the country at Rs70 per kg despite the court’s orders.

Chief Justice Athar Minallah sought the implementation report on the court’s orders to sell sugar to the masses at Rs70 per kg from Additional Attorney General Tariq Khokar.

The AAG replied that talks between the government and the PSMA on the matter were under way but sugar is not available in the market at Rs70 per kg.

Justice Minallah remarked, “The stay order is conditional with sugar being provided to the masses at reduced rates. The hearing of the case can be held sooner.”

He added that the court could not fix the prices if they were not regulated by the authorities, adding that it was the duty of the executive to ensure that the court’s orders were followed.