SWABI: Members of Kashtkar Coordination Council on Friday accused the federal government of violating the tobacco marketing law, (MLO-487) by fixing price of tobacco for the current year below the previous year’s rate.

Speaking at a meeting held here, they regretted that tobacco was still under the control of the federal government despite the Eighteenth Amendment.

They also showed a notification to reporters, which was recently issued by the Federal Ministry of National Food Security and Research, in which minimum indicative price for current year was fixed at Rs505 per kg for flue-cured Virginia (FCV) of plain area, Rs573 per kg of sub-mountainous area FCV, dark air-cured tobacco Rs378 per kg, white patta Rs245 per kg, burley Rs295 per kg, naswar-snuff-hookah tobacco and its products at Rs245 per kg and sun-cured Virginia Rs331 per kg.

They quoted the MLO-487, which said: “The weighted average price of tobacco for the crop of any year to be paid by a tobacco company to the tobacco growers shall not be lower than the weighted average price paid to them for the crop of the immediately preceding year.”

Says FCV rate slashed by Rs204 from last year’s

The participants said in 2023 weighted average price of FCV was Rs709 per kg, which the federal ministry slashed to Rs505 per kg, and the huge difference was flagrant violation of the tobacco marketing law, and that it should be immediately corrected.

Officials of the federal ministry were repeatedly contacted for comment on the matter, but none of them attended the phone calls. An email sent to them was also not responded.

KILLED: Rivals killed a man when he was returning home after attending a case in court, police said on Friday.

DSP Chota Lahor Fazal Sher Khan said the police arrested the three attackers.

Roohul Amin of Chota Lahor got registered an FIR, stating he along with Tahir Ali, Bihar Ali and Ehtesham left the court after attending hearing into a case. He said when they reached Pehur Canal area Asif Khan, Umar Khan and Kamil Khan, residents of Jalsai village, opened fire, killing Tahir on the spot. He said the murder was caused over an old enmity.

Meanwhile, unidentified assailants shot dead one Farman Ghani of Chota Lahor city. Family of the deceased said they had no enmity with anyone.

The police registered an FIR.

Also, Mir Alam Naz, 46, of Totalai Banda area, was killed over an old enmity on Friday, police and rescue officials said.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2024