ISLAMABAD - Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the decision of Lahore High Court (LHC) to relocate Ittefaq, Haseeb Waqas and Chaudhry sugar mills at their original places from South Punjab.
A three-member Bench, headed by Justice Azmat Saeed and comprised Justice Amir Ata Bandial and Justice Qazi Faez Isa, heard the review petitions, filed by Sharif family.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Jahangir Tareen had filed a petition in the LHC against illegal shifting of Sharif family’s sugar mills to South Punjab despite ban.
During the course of proceedings, Advocate Malik Qayyum, counsel for Sharif family sugar mill, appeared before the court and said that his client’s mill was in Pakpattan which he, later, shifted in Bahawalpur as sugarcane was not cultivated in the area any more.
Justice Umar Atta Bandial asked Advocate Ali Sabtain Fazli that whether government policy regarding relocation of sugar mills was not discussed in court.
Sabtain Fazli responded the court that relocation of mills was not considered in the court decision.
According to the verdict, a mill could be shifted from one district to another district, he added.
Justice Umar Bandial said that there was a reason for shifting of mills as sugarcane crop was destroying water resources and also affecting the cotton crop.
The court after hearing the case dismissed review petitions.
