CJP terms packaged milk a fraud with masses

KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC) on Saturday turned down the dairy farmers request for suspension of court orders to ban the prohibited injections to increase milk production in cattle and warned that the dairy farmers will be sent to prison if they tried to pressurise the administration by creating artificial milk shortage.

Hearing a suo moto case regarding deficiencies in the production, processing and packing of different brands of packaged milk in Sindh, a three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, observed that the dairy farmers will not be given extension even by one day as it is a matter of public health and lives of the girls cannot be jeopardised for saving the dairy farming business. The court observed that injections given to cattle lead to cancers in girls and adults consuming the milk.

When the dairy farmer representative requested the court to review its order, the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) said this is neither milk nor its alternative but a simple fraud. The chief justice said the court will not allow fraud with the masses. He said that the court will set up a commission to check the standard of milk.

The court appointed a commissioner to carry out laboratory tests for packaged milk brands and directed the commissioner to submit report within 15 days.

The Supreme Court ordered laboratory tests of all brands of packaged milk available in the market by the PCSIR.

The CJP also observed that the tea whiteners are not a substitute of milk and it is a deception if tea whiteners do not inscribe on packaging that their product was not a substitute for milk. The court directed Nazir of the Sindh High Court to seize and seal all prohibited injections from stores and manufacturing companies and submit a compliance report.