Sugarcane growers of southern Punjab may heave a sigh of relief as owners of five sugar mills, including JDW Sugar Mills of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Jehangir Khan Tareen, ensured the apex court on Thursday that they would purchase the entire cane crop against provincial government's fixed rate at Rs 180 per 40kg.
Showing willingness to ease the difficulty of sugarcane growers of southern Punjab in response to apex court directives, Tareen submitted an undertaking that he along with other four owners of the mills including Hamza Sugar Mill, Ashraf Sugar Mill, RYK Sugar Mill and Indus Sugar Mill, is ready to purchase the crop.
In September last, Lahore High Court had declared relocation of the Sharif family's mills from central Punjab to southern Punjab illegal, including Chaudhry Sugar Mills, Ittifaq Sugar Mills, and Haseeb Waqas Sugar Mills.
Challenging the High Court's verdict before the Supreme Court, Pakistan Kissan Ittehad and two other petitioners urged the court to set aside the judgment in the financial interest of cane growers of the vicinity; however, the apex court has asked the counsel for Tareen to come up with a feasible proposal in the matter.
On Thursday, appearing in person before a three-member bench led by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, JDW' owner Jehangir Khan Tareen filed an undertaking to buy cane crop form growers of the locality at the rate fixed by the Punjab government.
During the course of proceedings, Ahsan Bhoon, the counsel for the petitioners, expressed concern how it would be possible for the JDW and four other mills to purchase sugarcane crop from all farmers. However, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar ensured the farmers' counsel that court will not leave them alone as it will monitor and oversee the process, saying if there is any irregularity in procurement of crop then he will pass an appropriate order after taking up the matter in chamber.
Addressing Tareen, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar said that being elder of the locality, he should ensure that no farmer could face any loss. Responding to the statement of a farmer present in the court who said that he will embrace death in case farmers' harvested sugarcane crop is not purchased, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar plainly said, "If he will speak the truth before Baba Rehmatay, everything will remain good."
Adjourning hearing of the matter till February 18, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar remarked that court has provided remedy to growers by protecting their rights so they should avoid raising objections and becoming mouthpiece of someone else.
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