Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday accepted for regular hearing an appeal of the Sharif family against a Lahore High Court (LHC) decision directing them to shift their sugar mills out of southern Punjab.

A three-member Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, however rejected the request of the Sharif family to issue a stay order against the LHC decision. The court also dismissed the plea of Sharif family for opening of their sugar mills, however stayed operation of the LHC order to the extent of shifting of their sugar mills from south Punjab.

Observing that the interests of farmers are supreme, the chief justice directed Aitzaz Ahsan, senior counsel for Jahangir Tareen, to assure that the sugar mills of his client will purchase all available sugarcane from farmers at the rate fixed by the government.

The counsel assured the court that five sugar mills including JDW, RYK, Hamza, Ashraf and Indus situated in the area will buy the sugarcane from the farmers at the government’s fixed rate.

The chief justice directed the counsel to ensure that the farmers are paid fairly and squarely by the mill owners, adding that he will personally monitor the process of sugarcane purchasing.

He said he will hear the matter in his chambers if any complaints arise from the farmers against the sugar mills. Later, the court fixed April 18, for detailed arguments.

Jahangir Tareen and five other owners of the sugar mills assured the court that they will buy the entire sugarcane on government rates. Counsel for the sugarcane farmers told the court that the sugar mills, which have been allowed to purchase the sugarcane, had not adequate capacity.

“The picture of the place where meeting of sugarcane farmers held in Lahore is available with me, the chief justice noted, adding that I know who sponsored the farmers to engage a lawyer”. He said that chief justice is said to be weak, whose ears and eyes are not open in and outside the court. Aitzaz Ahsan questioned that who paid the farmers to publish their appeals in the newspapers.

The counsel for farmers stated that the businessmen had not specified on what conditions they will buy the cane. Aitzaz Ahsan stated that the rate of the cane will be determined by the sugar cane commissioner.

The chief justice said the court will listen to the contentions of sugarcane growers when they will tell the truth instead of speaking the language of others.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) former secretary general, owner of JDW Sugar Mills and a sugar tycoon Jahangir Tareen had filed a petition before the LHC contending that the members of Sharif family had illegally and violating a ban shifted their sugar mills to south Punjab. On September 11, 2017, the LHC had ordered the sugar mills, owned by members of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif’s family, to move out of south Punjab.

The LHC declared the shifting of three sugar mills owned by the Sharif family as illegal and directed that the Ittefaq, Haseeb Waqas and Chaudhry sugar mills be moved back within three months.

Published in Daily Times, January 12^th 2018.