The Lahore High Court on Tuesday sought more arguments in next hearing of Thursday on the point that if ban on sugar mills was imposed then why cultivation of sugarcane replaced cotton crop in southern Punjab in a petition against relocation of Chaudhry Sugar Mills Ltd. Rahim Yar Khan, Ittefaq Sugar Mills Bahawalpur and Haseeb Waqas Sugar Mills Muzaffargarh of sugar mills owned by family of Prime Minister.
Earlier counsel of Haseeb Waqas and Chaudhry Sugar Mills Ali Sibtain advanced his arguments against ban on relocating the cane crushing mills. He said under the policy made in 2015 to restrain relocating of sugar mills, the whole Punjab province was considered as one unit where permission for shifting or relocating mills was not mandatory.
He said the government data shows that farming of sugarcane had increased in the area and it had not been regulated-which he argued, even could not be regulated under the law. The counsel argued ban on shifting mills was against the fundamental rights as enshrined by the Constitution. His arguments were in progress when the hearing was adjourned for tomorrow (Thursday).
A farmer appeared before the court and started pleading that establishment of mills in the region had changed their lives and the value of their lands. He along with other farmers said that they had been suffering due to poverty and hunger and mills had been changing their lives. However, the CJ snubbed them to maintain the decorum of the court and observed that the court would decide the matter after hearing all the parties.
The Supreme Court on February 09 had barred the mills from operating and remanded the case to the LHC for execution of the order on petition moved by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Jahangir Khan Tareen. The petitioner had alleged that the Sharif family wanted to establish new mills under the garb of shifting their old mills.