The Supreme Court on Monday directed Cane Commissioner Punjab and five sugar mills representative to submit a comprehensive plan for purchase of sugarcane crop from South Punjab growers by February 21. A three-member bench led by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar passed the orders while resuming the hearing of a plea filed by Pakistan Kissan Ittehad, seeking reopening of relocated mills of Sharif family including Chaudhry Sugar Mills to Rahim Yar Khan, Haseeb Waqas Sugar Mills to Muzaffargarh and Ittifaq Sugar Mills to Bahawalpur.
Earlier on January 11, submitting undertaking, the owners of five sugar mills, including JDW Sugar Mills of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Jahangir Khan Tareen, ensured the apex court that they would purchase the entire sugarcane crop against provincial government's fixed rate at Rs 180 per 40kg.
Tareen had expressed consent to purchase the crop along with other four owners of the mills including Hamza Sugar Mill, Ashraf Sugar Mill, RYK Sugar Mill and Indus Sugar Mill. After undertaking of the mill owners, the court had assured the Kissan Ittehad counsel that it will pass an appropriate order if found any irregularity in procurement of the crop.
During the course of proceeding on Monday, the counsel for Kissan Ittehad alleged that the mill owners were defying the court orders in the current matter as they were procuring the crop against a rate of Rs 70 to Rs 80. With directives to resolve the issue through consultation, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar observed that judicial intervention to set sugar prices did not yield positive results in the past, and the court was well aware of the growers' plight.
The counsel for Tareen reassured the court to procure the sugarcane crop from the area but at the same time, he said there was a need to examine whether there was a political interest behind all that. It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan Ittehad has urged apex court to allow crushing of sugarcane for the current season after Lahore High Court had declared the relocations of Sharif family mills in the vicinity illegal. LHC had passed the order in the matter in response to plea of PTI's leader Jehangir Khan Tareen while observing that Sharif family relocated the mills illegally to South Punjab. The high court issued directives to owners of the mills to return to previous locations within three months.
Kissan Ittehad counsel submitted that Tareen and other four owners of sugar mills had given undertaking to purchase all sugarcane crops from three districts at the price of Rs 180 per 40kg but mills had no capacity to crush the volume of crop in the area. To which, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar observed that the court would not allow the banned mills to operate, saying such banned sugar mills might be creating hurdles for the farmers which should compensate the farmers.
Expressing dismay over nexus between Punjab government and the banned sugar mills, CJ Mian Saqib Nisar reprimanded district administration over its failure to resolve the issue. Addressing to District Coordination Officer of Rahimyar Khan, CJ Mian Saqib Nisar said "it seems either the officer is incompetent or partisan."
CJ Mian Saqib Nisar reiterated that the court will not let the poor farmers alone and directed the representatives of five sugar mills and Sugar Cane Commissioner to devise a plan for purchasing the crop by February 21.
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