LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ordered immediate closure of two sugar mills in Punjab, believed to be owned by Sharif family.

Haseeb Waqas Sugar Mills in Muzaffargarh and Chaudhry Sugar Mills in Rahim Yar Khan were shifted to new locations despite a restraining order by different courts.

The decision was taken by the division bench led by Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, directing sessions judges concerned to seal the sugar mills immediately.

The bench was hearing intra-court appeals filed by the two mills and Ittefaq Sugar Mills, challenging a single bench that had set aside their shifting to other districts of south Punjab. The single bench had passed the impugned order in October 2016 on petitions filed by JDW sugar mills of PTI leader Jahangir Tareen and others.

Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan continued his arguments on Thursday on behalf of JDW sugar mills. He told the bench that the three sugar mills of the Sharif family completed the shifting in blatant violation of stay granted by different courts.

“Chaudhry Sugar Mills had spent Rs600 million on its relocation,” Ahsan claimed and presented bank documents and photographs of the mills’ shifting process to substantiate his argument.

Ahsan maintained that the relocation policy for sugar mills announced by the provincial government in 2015 was based on mala fide intention. Environmental laws, he said, were also ignored in shifting of the respondent mills.

The bench observed that the two sugar mills would remain shut until further orders and sought further arguments in the case on March 28.