Daily Times

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah on Friday ordered to seal Brothers Sugar Mills, owned by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s cousin, as it owed Rs 870 million to farmers who had provided sugarcane.

The judge observed that the payment to farmers could not be stopped and the court would ensure it at any cost. The judge directed that no excuse would be acceptable and schedule for the payments to farmers should be submitted until June 27.

Earlier, a number of farmers approached the court for payment of their sugarcane supplied to Brothers Sugar Mills. The petitioner’s counsel claimed that the farmers were giving their sugarcane crop to the factory but for last two years, they were not paid anything from the mill.

The counsel alleged that the factory owner was delaying the payment on one pretext or the other, adding that due to non-payment, it had become impossible to sow new crops for farmers. He sought direction for the payment of all dues of the petitioners.

The cane commissioner on the occasion informed that the owners had pledged the sugar before banks, adding that the payment could only be made once the sugar is sold. He said that the government could not interfere in the matter, as it was an agreement between the banks and mill owners.

The judge observed that the court had nothing to do with these loans, saying that the mill had to ensure payment to the farmers who had supplied the sugarcane while no delaying tactics would be tolerated. The judge observed that the farmers’ money should not be misappropriated.