LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday suspended the notices issued by the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) to 20 ghee and oil mills for registration and licensing requirements.

Justice Ali Baqar Najafi issued a stay order on a joint petition filed by the millers.

Advocate Abuzar Salman Khan Niazi, appearing on behalf of the mills, argued that the registration and licencing was the domain of the federal government through the Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), and not the provinces.

He further said the Council of Common Interest (CCI) in its 42dn meeting also decided that the registration and licencing of food products would be done by the PSQCA. He said it had been settled by the superior courts in a number of judgments that a CCI decision had an obligatory effect unless the same was modified by the parliament.

The counsel asked the court to declare the impugned notices unconstitutional, unlawful and without lawful authority.

The judge suspended the notices and sought replies from the respondents by the next week.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2021