SC orders lab tests on local, imported packed milk

LAHORE: Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday ordered experts to conduct tests on alleged contaminated, adulterated packed-milk being sold by local and foreign companies in the country.

The bench headed by Justice Mian Saqib Nisar heard the matter at Supreme Court Lahore Registry today.

The court ordered inspection on the sample of milk sold by national and multinational companies throughout the country.

SC ordered the experts from University of Agriculture Faisalabad, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore and Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) to prepare a report in this regard.

“All children in every household drink milk”, remarked Justice Saqib Nisar.

The court ordered that milk purchased from open market must be provided to the experts.

Supreme Court during the proceedings appointed Haider Rasool Mirza Advocate as coordinator.

The court said that this was the responsibility of the government. However, the court has to do government’s job.

The court asked Advocate General that how many educational institutes and hospitals were created.

Justice Saqib Nisar said that there was only one operational cancer hospital, the other one is being constructed in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa.

Later on, the court adjourned the hearing for four weeks.

On a previous hearing, the Livestock department submitted reports regarding contaminated water and adulterated packed-milk.

Barrister Zafarullah Khan, the lawyer who had challenged the sale of poor water and substandard milk, objected to the reports saying that reports of the livestock department were five years old.

He said the reports also carried many examples of contaminated water, unhygienic and poorly packed milk. He said, so far, no action was taken by the authorities concerned.

The petitioner said death was being distributed among citizens through packed-milk which lacked proper check of the authorities concerned.

He submitted that the use of contaminated and substandard milk had been spreading serious diseases, including cancer and Hepatitis-C among citizens.

He stated there was not a single laboratory in Pakistan that had the capability to gauge contamination of chemicals in milk and water.