Higher sugar prices: Federal and provincial governments move Supreme Court today

Federal and provincial governments on Thursday decided to jointly approach the Supreme Court to apprise it of the true reasons that led to fixation of sugar price.
A meeting held with Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in the chair and attended among others by Chief Ministers of Punjab and Sindh to discuss the sugar crisis in the country also decided to submit an application in the Supreme Court today (Friday) seeking permission for immediate remedial measures required to be taken to ensure uninterrupted supply of sugar on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr.
The meeting unanimously decided to approach the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry hearing the sugar case. The Federation and all the four provinces would untidily approach the apex court and would apprise it of the true state of affairs culminating in the decision arrived at by the government of Pakistan in conjunction with the provincial governments while fixing the price of sugar which had escalated disproportionately and was on the rise.
The meeting further resolved that the difficulties would be specifically highlighted in the implementation of the decision of the Lahore High Court. The meeting decided that to provide adequate and uninterrupted supply of sugar on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr, immediate remedial steps would be required for which an appropriate application is being submitted to the Supreme Court of Pakistan on September 18, 2009.
Talking to media Sindh Chief Minister said that his province had apprised the meeting of the difficulties being faced by it Sindh province and wanted a way out of the crisis without any confrontation.
Others who attended the meeting were Shaukat Fayaz Ahmad Tarin, Minister for Finance, Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for Petroleum, Nazar Muhammad Gondal, Minister for Food & Agriculture, Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, Minister for Industries & Production, Muhammad Afzal Sindhu, Minister of State for Law & Justice, Sardar Latif Khosa, Attorney General of Pakistan, Naeem Kamran, Minister for Food Punjab, Muhammad Shuja Khan, Minister for Food NWFP, Ali Madad Jatak, Minister for Food Balochistan, Chief Secretaries of all the four provinces, Secretaries of Commerce, Finance, Food & Agriculture, Industries and Law, Secretary, Food Sindh, Secretary, Industries Punjab, Secretary, Food Punjab; Khawaja Haris, Advocate; Chairman, TCP and Managing Director, Utility Stores Corporation.