IHC hears sugarcane farmers plea in sugar crisis case

ISLAMABAD : The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued notices to the parties over a petition of sugarcane farmers in the sugar crisis case. It is to be mentioned here that sugarcane farmers had submitted a miscellaneous plea in the high court regarding the sugar crisis report and requested the court to hear the stance of farmers and the people affected by the sugar mafia. Punjab’s sugarcane farmers had also pleaded to the bench to add them as a party in the case. Chief Justice Athar Minallah while hearing the petition directed for annexing the farmers’ plea with other petitions and ordered to fix the hearing of the case on June 19. Safdar Shaheen Advocate appeared before the court on behalf of the sugarcane farmers and argued that the farmers have direct link with the sugar mills association’s case. The petitioner’s counsel pleaded the court to hear the stance of farmers in the case. The bench adjourned the hearing till June 19. Earlier, the high court had hear a petition moved by Pakistan Sugar Mills Association challenging the report of the Sugar Inquiry Commission. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah while hearing the petition had issued a 10-day stay order, barring the government from taking action on the sugar inquiry commission report. The high court also issued directives to sell sugar at the rate of Rs70/kg for the next 10 days. The court had served notices to Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), FIA chief Wajid Zia and asked the government to submit a reply within 10 days. The petition filed by the sugar mill owners in the high court had made the federal government, inquiry commission’s head Wajid Zia and others as parties. The petition stated that the federal government violated the constitutional regulations by forming an inquiry commission over sugar crisis and pleaded to the high court to nullify the formation of the sugar inquiry commission.