Lahore High Court finds Indian sugar fit for consumption

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ordered the release of tonnes of imported Indian sugar, declaring it non-injurious for human consumption.

Lahore, Oct 4 : The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ordered the release of tonnes of imported Indian sugar, declaring it non-injurious for human consumption.

The Indian sugar is stored at railways godown, as the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) laboratories were checking its quality.

Luqman Ahmad, a sugarcane grower, filed the first petition challenging the import of the Indian sugar.

The Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) moved the second petition asking the court to stop the marketing and sale of Indian sugar in Pakistan.

PSMA's counsel, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, said the imported sugar is hazardous to health.

Swera Traders filed the third petition, saying the sugar is being consumed in several countries including India, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Earlier, a report submitted to the Lahore High Court by the Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) claimed that the Indian sugar is unfit for human consumption and against the import standards of Pakistan.The PSQCA said that ICUMSA (International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis), an element which determines the presence of sulphur's quantity, has been found to be 140 per cent which is way above the permissible limit.

Justice Syed Hamid Ali Shah of the Lahore High Court had ordered a sampling of the sugar following the submission of a petition by the Sawera Group, seeking the release of sugar being kept by the customs for release.

The Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA), which sought to become a party to the case, had approached the court, the Daily Times reported.

ANI