IHC CJ Athar Minallah slams govt over failure to control sugar prices.

ISLAMABAD -- The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah reprimanded the government on Monday after the Pakistan Sugar Mill Association (PMSA) refused to supply sugar at the reduced rates of Rs70/kg in markets countrywide despite the court's orders.

During Monday's hearing, Justice Athar Minallah sought the implementation report from Additional Attorney General Tariq Khokhar and inquired whether sugar was being sold for Rs70/kg, as per the court's orders last week.

"The correspondence between the government and PMSA is underway regarding the matter, but sugar is not available in the market at Rs70/kg," Khokhar responded.

To this, CJ Athar Minallah said that the stay order issued had been conditional with sugar being provided to the masses at the reduced rates. 'The interim stay was conditional on this matter. The hearing of the case can be held sooner,' he remarked.

"The court cannot fix the prices if the prices are not regulated by the authorities, it is the job of the executive to ensure court orders are followed," CJ Athar Minallah asserted.

Is the restraining order over? asked Khokhar, to which, the CJ responded by saying that there was no use of the restraining order if it does not...