LAHORE: In a rare controversy in country’s parliamentary history, the Punjab government has distanced itself from an amended law governing sugar factories which was rushed through the provincially assembly over two weeks ago, alleging its contents were changed by ‘someone’ at the assembly secretariat before it was laid before the lawmakers for discussion and passage.

“It was not the draft bill presented by the government for enactment. Its contents were changed by someone at the assembly secretariat from what had been vetted and passed by the house standing committee,” says Agriculture Minister Syed Hussain Jehanian Gardezi, pointing out the sorry state of affairs in which some vested interest secretly and illegally changed the draft bill contrary to its very purpose of protecting the interests of sugarcane growers.

“The issue will be thoroughly investigated to fix responsibility as it has created unrest among growers,” the minister said at a press conference here on Friday, promising to introduce a new law in Monday’s sitting of the assembly to undo the wrong.

The Sugar Factories Control (Amendment) Act passed in the May 4 sitting of the assembly fixes Nov 30 as the last date for starting the sugarcane crushing season, allowing millers to pay dues to the growers by June 30, and renders the offence of delayed or non-payment of dues non-cognizable.

The act was contrary to an ordinance issued in October last which empowered the government to fix date for the start of the crushing season, bound millers to pay dues to growers within 15 days from the purchase of cane and that, too, through formal banking channel to check the practice of less payments or illegal deductions, besides placing other safeguards to protect growers.

New bill to be introduced on Monday after PM intervenes

Interestingly, in a deviation from the parliamentary practice copies of the bill were neither distributed among the lawmakers nor the press gallery members before its introduction in the house. It was rather rushed through the house on a private members days.

“We’d accept the new law, as being promised by Mr Gardezi, only if it contained all the safeguards for farmers introduced in the Ordinance,” said, Khalid Khokhar, the Pakistan Kissan Ittehad president, who along with Special Assistant to Chief Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan flanked the minister at the presser.

Thanking Prime Minister Imran Khan for timely intervention on the legal controversy, Mr Khokhar said the change in draft bill was a serious offence and warranted sending a reference against those responsible for secretly and illegally changing the bill under the “influence of the sugar mafia.” He pledged not to compromise on the issue as it involved over Rs100 billions of the farmers.

An insider told Dawn that a preliminary inquiry by an investigation agency revealed that the controversial draft bill had been prepared at the Gulberg residence of a powerful politician who also owned shares in a couple of sugar mills.

He said a report of the preliminary investigation had been placed before the high-ups, while further probe was underway.

Minister Gardezi said that taking immediate notice of farmers’ concerns, the prime minister had directed the Punjab government to immediately withdraw the amendments made in the Sugarcane Act 2021 against the interests of farmers and remove reservations of the community in the next session of the assembly.

He said this year the farmers got timely and better compensation for their sugarcane and wheat produce, whereas they had been exploited in the past through middlemen and markets.

Dawn tried to get the comment of PA secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti who runs the assembly secretariat but he did not respond to text messages.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2021