Indian mission lauds Lahore HC order to release imported Indian sugar

The Indian High Commission (IHC) has lauded the Lahore High Courts order to customs officials to release imported Indian sugar consignments held back from release on grounds that it was not fit for consumption.

Islamabad, Oct 6 : The Indian High Commission (IHC) has lauded the Lahore High Court's order to customs officials to release imported Indian sugar consignments held back from release on grounds that it was not fit for consumption.

The IHC rubbished reports about contaminated sugar imported from India, and said that the Indian sugar is of good quality as it is exported to various countries including Pakistan.

It said that Pakistan had imported 7.5 lakh tonnes of sugar from India during 2006-07 to meet local needs and stabilise sugar prices.

"No one has ever raised any quality doubts about Indian sugar. All production and sale of sugar in India itself is subject to stringent quality standards that meet all international norms," the IHC said.

It said that sampling is not even considered necessary since India had globally exported 16.4 lakh tonnes sugar in 2006.

The Commission rejected as misleading the assertion that Indian sugar contained sulphur dioxide (SO2) above permissible limits and was below the ICUMSA standards.

"An ICUMSA rating is an international unit for expressing purity of the sugar in solution, and is directly related to the colour of the sugar and not a health or safety standard," it added.

It further said that Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) tests had validated that both SO2 content and ICUMSA rating of the Indian sugar held up in Lahore were within the Codex Standards and there was no ground to continue to allege that Indian sugar posed any health hazard to consumers.

The Commission said that as neighbouring countries, India and Pakistan were best placed to trade in commodities like sugar and other essential items of daily use that directly affects the lives of ordinary consumers.

Earlier, a division bench of the Lahore High Court had refused to entertain an Intra Court Appeal (ICA) by the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) against the order of Justice Syed Hamid Ali Shah, declaring Indian sugar fit for human consumption.

ANI