Shafaqna Pakistan: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday granted stay to more sugar mills against coercive measures by the federal and provincial governments with respect to enforcement of sugar price.
Justice Rasaal Hassan Syed was hearing petitions filed by several sugar mills, including JDW sugar mills of PTI’s estranged leader Jahangir Khan Tareen, challenging a government notification about fixing ex-mill price of sugar at Rs84.50 and retail at Rs89.5 per kilogramme.
Opposing the petitions, Deputy Attorney-General Asad Ali Bajwa told the court the government had fixed the price of the commodity after hearing the point of view of 32 sugar mills. He said all the legal requirements were strictly observed and the millers were not entitled to any relief.
A counsel for the millers argued that the price fixed by the government was irrational and contrary to the factual position of the cost of the production. He said selling sugar at the impugned price was not practically possible. He said that the government did not follow the process ordered by the court to determine the price of sugar.
He said the court had directed the government to have detailed deliberation with all stakeholders, including the sugar mills, before fixing the price. The counsel asked the court to set aside the impugned notification for being illegal and restrain the government from taking action against the mills.
Justice Syed restrained the government from taking coercive measures against the mills with regard to the implementation of the new price and sought replies from the respondents by next week. Last week, the court had also extended the same relief to several sugar mills that assailed the new price of the commodity.
The News
