LHC orders sealing two sugar mills of Sharif family

Lahore [Pakistan], Mar. 2 (ANI): The Lahore High Court on Thursday ordered to seal two sugar mills of the Sharif family, according to Pakistan media reports. The court ordered to seal Haseeb Waqas Sugar Mills and Chaudhry Sugar Mills and further directed the Sessions Judge Muzaffargarh and Rahim Yar Khan to comply with the orders. Earlier in February, reports said that the Lahore High Court has ordered for sealing three sugar mills of Sharif family if they are still operating despite restraining order of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court on February 09 had suspended the operation of these sugar mills and had remanded the case to the LHC on the application of Jahangir Tareen, General Secretary of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The bench further observed that from February 20, the proceedings of the case would be held on a day-to-day basis. The bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah also directed district police concerned to accompany the sessions judges and render full support in carrying out the inspection of these mills. Earlier, Aitzaz Ahsan on behalf of Jahangir Tareen submitted that the restraining order of SC is not being complied with and all three mills - Chaudhry Sugar Mills Ltd. Rahim Yar Khan, Ittefaq Sugar Mills Bahawalpur, and Haseeb Waqas Sugar Mills Muzaffargarh are still operational and carrying out manufacturing activities. A single bench headed by Justice Ayesha A Malik on October 10 last had declared the relocation of Chaudhry Sugar Mills, Ittefaq Sugar Mills in Sahiwal, Haseeb Waqas Sugar Mills in Nankana Sahib, Abdullah (Yousaf) Sugar Mills in Sargodha and Abdullah Sugar Mills in Depalpur to other districts as illegal. On October 28 a division bench of LHC last had maintained the status quo in the matter of shifting five sugar mills owned by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and their relatives. Tareen in his petitions had alleged that the Sharif family wanted to establish new mills under the garb of shifting their old mills which was illegal and banned under the relevant policy. (ANI)