RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday issued directives to federal government to release over Rs.80 million to Agritech Limited, manufacturer of Single Super Phosphate (SSP) in Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK).

Earlier, the apex court, while announcing its reserved verdict on subsidy for local fertilizer manufacturers, had asked the subsidy seekers to get their products tested from Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA).

Agritech Limited had challenged the notification of Prime Minister’s Kissan Package 2015 before Peshawar High Court (PHC) on the grounds that the company, as a local manufacturer of fertilizer, had been deprived of the subsidy benefits of the package.

Accepting the plea on December 23, 2015, the PHC had declared notifications of 15 October, 2015 and 3 November, 2015 in the matter as discriminatory. Resultantly, the federal government challenged the PHC verdict before the Supreme Court, urging it to declare the High Court’s verdict null and void. It also told the court that the federation was not properly heard in the matter.

Filing plea under Order XXVII of the Supreme Court Rules 1980 (read with the Contempt of Court Ordinance 2002), Agritech Limited made Muhammad Abid Javed, Secretary, Ministry of National Food Security & Research and Imtiaz Ali Gopang, Deputy Food Security Commissioner-II Ministry of National Food Security & Research as respondents.

Appearing before a two-judge bench led by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, counsel for Agritech Salman Akram Raja accused the government of releasing subsidy to its favourites while the Ministry’s representative stated that Rs12 billion has been released as subsidy under the head so far.

Expressing dismay at the response a member of the bench Justice Qazi Faiz Isa observed that the government distributed tax payers’ money on account of subsidy without taking note that the matter was sub-judice.

He further remarked that the court had to intervene in a proposition where the government failed to perform its constitutional duty to resolve an issue.

Issuing directives to the concerned authorities to release subsidy to Agritech Limited the bench disposed of the hearing in the contempt plea.