LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has stayed shifting/relocating of four sugar mills, owned by close relatives of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif.

Justice Ayesha A. Malik suspended two notifications issued by the secretary (industries) that allowed shifting of Ittefaq Sugar Mills, Sahiwal, Haseeb Waqas Sugar Mills, Nankana Sahib, Abdullah (Yousaf) Sugar Mills, Sargodha, and Abdullah Sugar Mills, Depalpur, to other districts.

The judge ordered a status quo with respect to shifting or relocating of these mills from one district to other and sought replies from the federal and Punjab governments by Jan 25.

The judge directed the deputy attorney general and law officer of Punjab government to ensure compliance of the order.

Justice Malik passed the order on a petition filed by JDW Sugar Mills, owned by PTI central organiser MNA Jahangir Tareen, and its shareholder Maqsood Ahmad Malhi. Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was also made a party to the petition.

The petition stated that the secretary (industries) issued the impugned notifications on Dec 4, 2015 with mala fide intention to facilitate the desired relocation of these four mills.

It said under section 3 of Punjab Industries (Control on Establishment and Enlargement) Ordinance, there was a restriction on establishment of industrial undertaking without provincial government’s permission. It stated that under this section, various notifications had been issued imposing restriction on establishing new sugar mills in the province.

The petition pleaded that it was the government’s consistent position that relocation amounted to establishing a new industrial undertaking.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2016