ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has ordered the former and current directors of Pattoki sugar Mills to appear before it on August 8.Hearing a case about payments to farmers, the three-member bench, headed by Acting Chief Justice Azmat Saeed, ordered the directors to appear before court after paying farmers their dues, failing which they could face action under the contempt of court law. The acting CJ warned the mill owners against playing games with the court.When the mills counsel informed the court Rs52 crore had been paid to farmers while Rs7 crore were outstanding, Justice Azmat Saeed said the court didn’t trust the sugar mills’ assurance. The court was not asking for charity or donation (chanda) for Edhi, it was talking about farmers’ rights and they (the mills) would have to make the payments.On this, the sugar mills advocate said: “We need time to pay farmers as our directors have gone to China.” The acting chief justice said: “You have money to go abroad but are not paying the farmers. The advocate said: “We give schedule for payments. The acting CJ said: “You have eaten up the harvest. Now these people give schedule for the food of their children.The advocate general told the court that the cheques given by the Baradar sugar Mills have bounced. And the mills directors have resigned. The acting CJ said all dues should be clear till next hearing. In other case, the matter would be entrusted to the office at Thokar Niaz Beg.
08-01-2019, 05:14 PM
SC warns sugar mill owners to pay farmers by 8th
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