The Lahore High Court has announced its decision to refrain from interfering in governmental policy matters related to wheat procurement.
During a recent session led by Justice Shahid Karim, the court reviewed a plea submitted by Advocate Farhat Manzoor on behalf of the Punjab government regarding issues concerning the purchase of wheat from farmers and the availability of bardana. The petition listed the Chief Secretary of Punjab and others as respondents.
In response, the court directed the Punjab cabinet to inform it of their stance on wheat procurement. Highlighting its stance of non-intervention in governmental policies, the court asked the Punjab cabinet to clarify their position on the wheat matter for the next hearing.
The petitioner argued that despite the government’s instructions to continue wheat procurement at Rs 3900 per maund, farmers were not receiving bardana on time. Additionally, the scheduled wheat purchase beginning from April 22 has been postponed, forcing farmers to sell their crops to intermediaries at lower prices due to adverse weather conditions.
The petitioner urged the court to instruct the government to promptly purchase wheat from farmers at the official rate and ensure timely provision of bardana to them.