ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Sharif family’s lawyer to deposit Rs1 million in the Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dam fund when he (counsel) request for more time for consultation with his clients regarding the sugar mills case.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, resumed the hearing pertaining to the relocation of sugar mills owned by the Sharif family to Southern Punjab.
The lawyer asked for time to confer with his clients. On this, the CJ said whoever wants extra time should deposit Rs100,000 in the dam fund.
Earlier, a Lahore High Court bench had ordered the mills to be shifted out of Southern Punjab and declared that shifting the three mills there was illegal. The Sharif’s took the case to the Supreme Court and their plea was admitted in January this year.
CJP Saqib Nisar said that the sugar mills were able to operate for one whole crushing season for free.
He said there were bad intentions behind shifting the mills to South Punjab. Justice Nisar observed that a judicial commission had been informed that a powerhouse was being set up in the area. He said they lied to the court and set up mills instead.
The CJ said it would be best if the mills were shifted.
PTI leader Jahangir Tareen had taken the Sharifs to the LHC for illegally shifting their sugar mills to South Punjab despite a ban.
