LAHORE - Lahore High Court on Thursday issued notice to National Food Security department on a petition challenging ban on mangoes export by federal government.
Awab Enterprises, a local company, filed the petition submitting that the federal government imposed ban on mangoes’ export to favour bigwigs belonged to Sindh.  The petitioner said the government stopped export of more than one lac ton mangoes.
He said that the government asked them to get their mangoes treated with hot water by Durani Associate Company based in Karachi, before selling to markets as a certain bee attacked the mangoes.  The petitioner alleged that the government imposed the ban through National Food Security.
He requested the court to set aside the notification issued in this regard, so the traders could continue their mangoes export.  After hearing initial arguments, Justice Shahzada Mazhar of the LHC issued notice to NFS and sought reply by on July 16.
Meanwhile, a local commission told the Lahore High Court that 98,604 injections of interferon and expensive raw material were expired lying in store whereas people were dying of Hepatitis-C.  After the commission’s report, government sought time from the court to file reply. Giving time to the respondents, the court directed them to objection if any, on the commission’s report. A Punjab University professor had filed petition that he introduced the cheapest injection to control Hepatitis-C but a mafia was creating hurdles in his way which deprived the general public from getting benefit from this injection. Hearing adjourned till July 11.