AG to conclude arguments in sugar case today.

Byline: Malik Asad

ISLAMABAD -- Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan is likely to conclude his arguments on Saturday (today) on the petitions filed by the sugar industry against the inquiry commission report that accused the sugar mills of cartelisation and misuse of public money that led to massive price hike of the commodity.

During the course of the hearing on Friday, a counsel for the sugar mills argued before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that the government had notified six-member inquiry commission, but the report was signed by seven members. The counsel said it was still a mystery how an additional member from the Inter-Services IntelliAgence (ISI) was added to the commission.

The court heard the counsel for the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) and sugar mills owned by Jahangir Khan Tareen, his son Ali Khan Tareen, brother of federal minister Khusro Bakhtiar, Salman Shahbaz and others and asked the AG to conclude arguments by Saturday (today).

The petitions filed by sugarcane farmers before the IHC were disposed of on Friday, with Chief Justice Athar Minallah directing the petitioners to take up their grievances with the provincial government.

Millers' counsel wonders how ISI official was made part of probe commission

During the hearing, Justice Minallah also extended the restraining order till Saturday against inquiry commission recommendations, which included registration of the criminal cases against the sugar mill owners over shortage and price hike of the commodity.

Justice Minallah remarked that as the institutions that would proceed against sugar mills were already part of the inquiry commission, they had made up their mind and how they could remain impartial in further proceeding.

The AG, however, assured the court that the proceeding against the sugar mills would be fair and impartial. He explained that the representatives of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) were part of the commission because of their expertise in probing the financial crimes.

Makhdoom Ali Khan, the counsel for the petitioners, argued before the court that the inquiry commission prepared the report in order to please the government. The government through media trial of the sugar industry had created such an environment in which fair trial was not possible, he said.

He said the prime minister and his aides had already been calling the sugar mill owners...

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