LAHORE - The Supreme Court yesterday ordered the livestock department’s secretary to submit reply regarding action taken against those found involved in business of adulterated milk, supply of poor water and use of steroid injection to buffaloes.

The SC also sought report about legislation on these issues by the next hearing fixed as September 8.

A two member bench headed by Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman passed the order on the petition filed by Barrister Zafarullah Khan of Watan party. The bench previously had taken suo motu notice on the petition and had sought report from the Punjab government.

On Wednesday, the lawyer-petitioner submitted that not only loose milk but the packed milk being consumed by citizens was also adulterated with chemicals including detergent power, which were not fit for human consumption. He submitted that  the use of contaminated and sub-standard milk had been leading citizens suffer serious diseases in citizens including Hepatitis-C. He further stated there was not a single laboratory in Pakistan that had the capability to gauge contamination of chemicals in milk and water.

Barrister Khan said the citizens were being fed poison by the use of steroid injection for boosting milk production of buffaloes and quick growth of broiler chicken. He prayed to the court to ban use of contaminated, adulterated milk and water, sale of quick growth poultry as well as sale of injections being used for buffaloes for milking.

PENSION CASE

An additional Secretary Finance of Punjab government yesterday assured the Lahore High Court that the department would deduction made in double pension of the old-pensioners.

Muhammad Nawaz, the additional secretary, appeared before Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and submitted compliance report. The official said that no deduction would be made in the pension of the petitioners.  He said the pensioners had previously been paid double pension due to which the department had started deduction. After undertaking of the official, the Chief Justice disposed of the petition.

Abdul Rauf Khan and others had filed petitions through Advocate Safdar Shaheen contending that the Punjab government last year started deducting benefit of increased pension implemented in 2013.  The lawyer argued that benefit once granted by the government could not be taken back in any case as per judgments of the Supreme Court. He asked the court to order refund of the deducted amount.

In another case, an anti-terrorism court yesterday sought medical report about adulthood of two suspects of Yohannabad attack. The court deferred hearing until Sept 5.