LHC to hear petition against sugar prices today

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed will today (Friday) take up a petition challenging the unprecedented increase in sugar prices and the government’s failure to form any regularity authority to check the sugar cartels and hoarders.
The LHC had earlier returned the petition stating that certified copies were not attached with the petition, after which the petitioner re-filed it along with all certified copies on Thursday. Petitioner’s counsel Azhar Siddique submitted that the unprecedented and unchecked increase in sugar prices had occurred due to the government and the profiteers.
He said that the common man was already overburdened due to high inflation and now the sugar crisis had added to the miseries of the masses. The petitioner’s counsel said that the federal and provincial governments had started a blame game giving an opportunity to hoarders and profiteers to make billions of rupees. He said that the fundamental rights of the citizens had been badly violated.
Siddique argued that articles 9 to 28 of the constitution had defined the fundamental rights of citizens and the state was responsible for providing all basic necessities of life to the masses. He said that articles 29 to 38 restrained the governments from framing any anti-people policy.
The petitioner’s counsel alleged that the rulers were overlooking all their responsibilities and had given a free hand to hoarders and profiteers for increasing sugar prices, which had added to the miseries of the citizens. Referring to various laws enacted for controlling sugar prices and the measures needed to control such situations, Siddique said that the laws had been grossly violated by increasing sugar prices and the accused be awarded 10-year imprisonment and imposed a fine not less than Rs 1 million.
The petitioner’s counsel said that if sugar mill owners and hoarders do not bring sugar prices down, their mills should be nationalised. He also suggested formation of a committee consisting of people from all walks of life for keeping a check on prices of daily use commodities.