Zubair Qureshi
Islamabad
The Islamabad High Court on Saturday vacated the stay it had earlier given stopping the government from acting against the “sugar mafia.”
The court on June 11 had stopped the government from action only days after the Federal Investigation Agency submitted its investigation report to the federal government regarding shortfall of sugar during Ramazan and its high prices and the government was to take action against the sugar mafia in the light of the inquiry commission’s report.
The millers had moved the court against the sugar inquiry commission report claiming it was lopsided and had failed to ensure transparency and fair play.
Chief Justice of the IHC after hearing the Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan’s arguments had briefly reserved the judgment that was announced later in the day.
Chief Justice Athar Minallah decided against extending the restraining order, however, observing in the two-page short order that the right to a fair trial of any party should not be affected, including the petitioner.
The verdict further says that the inquiry commission was formed according to the IHC’s short verdict and the government’s decision of sending the case to National Accountability Bureau was correct.
The court also stopped the federal ministers from commenting on the verdict. The detailed verdict of the case will be released later on. During the hearing of the case, Chief Justice Athar Minallah remarked that setting the price of commodities was not the job of the court.
During his arguments, Attorney General Khalid Javed Khan informed the court that the sugar inquiry commission report was not biased as it was also against some government persons.
Justice Athar Minallah, while having a dialogue with a lawyer of the sugar mills association, said how they could extend the restraining order after such strong arguments.
It is pertinent to mention here that Islamabad High Court had issued a restraining order for 10 days on the sugar inquiry commission and directed it to sell sugar at Rs70 per kilogram.
The IHC further ruled that the government is fully empowered to send a reference under section 18(b)(i) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 to the National Accountability Bureau. It hoped that the officials dealing with the matter will ensure a fair trial in this regard.
Earlier, owners of 17 mills, including Pakistan Sugar Mills Association, challenged the report of the sugar scandal inquiry commission in the IHC.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf senior leader Jahangir Tareen, son of Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and brother of the Federal Minister Khusro Bakhtyar are said to be among the petitioners.
The Pakistan Sugar Mills Association and mills’ owners had challenged the formation of the probe commission and its findings in the court.
The commission, in its report, had accused the millers of earning illegal profits amounting to billions of rupees through unjustified price hikes, benami transactions, tax evasion, suspicious sugar export deals, illegal power production, misuse of subsidy and purchasing sugarcane off the books.
