LAHORE – An inter-court appeal (ICA) has been filed in the Lahore High Court against the dismissal of a petition earlier filed against sale of adulterated milk by tetra pack companies and in loose form by the local milkmen.
The ICA came after a judgment by a single bench of the Lahore High Court on December 22 that dismissed a petition filed by Watan Party through Barrister Zafarullah Khan who had asserted that melamine and other chemicals, injurious to human health, were being used in the milk being sold by tetra pack companies.
The bench had held a report by a German laboratory which had declared milk ‘fit for human consumption’ and thus the media reports which claimed the milk was adulterated were of no value. In the ICA Barrister Zafarullah submitted that he had based his petition on media report which claimed that both packed milk and loose milk was not fit for human consumption and the LHC judge rejected the media report without ‘applying his mind’. He said the judge did not summon the reporters to hear their version who investigated the matter.
“Court is not persuaded because all these news were published without any cogent evidence,” the petitioner quoted the judgment. The petitioner said except media the countrymen have no other source of information and a judge paid just ‘cursory attention’ to the report which needed through consideration.
The petitioner submitted that members of the National Assembly, including Khawja Mohd Asif of PML-N, Riaz Ftyana of PML-Q and Faisal Saleh Hayat of PML-Q, had raised the issue during the proceedings of parliamentary committee on food and adulteration that contaminated and adulterated milk was being sold by the tetra pack companies and the local milkmen to the countrymen.
The petitioner said Khawja Asif submitted a study in the parliament on December 14 which said University of Cambridge had revealed that Pakistan produced 17 billion litres of milk and its consumption was 38 billion litres, and to meet shortage it was mixed with adulterations.
The petitioner said companies mix urea and other material of contaminations in milk to increase its quantity and thickness. “Pakistanis are drinking white poison in the shape of packed and unpacked milk,” petitioner said quoting the report. The petitioner prayed to the court that appeal may be accepted that judgment on his earlier petition may be set aside and proceedings may be started to examine the gravity of the issue afresh to save people from the consumption of adulterated milk.
