The provincial food authority has assured the Balochistan High Court (BHC) that it will get approval of the Food Fortification Bill, 2021 from the cabinet in order to provide a mechanism to respond to the legal demands of as many as 52 flour mills in the province.
Regulatory framework provides a mechanism on how a law would be enforced for which Pakistan Flour Mills Association has sought the Balochistan High Court’s directives for the provincial government to make rules and regulations under the Balochistan Food Authority Bill, 2014, instead of adopting the Punjab Food Authority rules in the matter.
Advocates Aimal Khan Kakar and Ahmed Rehman invoked the jurisdiction of Balochistan High Court on behalf of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association against the provincial food regulatory body for not making its own rules and regulations, saying the flour mills in Balochistan are forced to follow the rules and regulations of the Punjab Food Authority.
It is pertinent to mention that as many as 52 flour mills in the province have been given permission to do business out of which merely 35 mills are operative whereas interestingly a total of 32 mills are operating from Quetta.
During various hearings of the matter before the High Court Advocate Aimal Khan Kakar contended, “After the West Pakistan Pure Food Ordinance 1960 was repealed by the Balochistan Food Authority Act 2014, there are no regulations in field in province of Balochistan as such the provincial food authority has adopted the regulations formulated by Punjab Food Authority without giving it a legal cover”.
Kakar further contended that Balochistan Food Authority being a statutory and autonomous body established under the Balochistan Food Authority, Act 2014, cannot lawfully ask the flour mills in Balochistan to follow the regulations prepared and adopted by the Punjab Food Authority.
He urged the court to issue directives to the Authority to frame its own rules and regulations and special operating procedure while keeping in consideration the agricultural realities prevailing in the province of Balochistan. He requested the court to direct the respondents to make the rules and regulations after taking on board all the important stakeholders such as Pakistan Flour Mills Association, Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
After hearing arguments the division bench of Justices Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Zaheerud Din Kakar summoned the director general of the provincial food authority on May 24 this year to clarify his position and apprise the court as to why food authority haven’t made their own rules.
Finally in its order, a copy of which is available with TLTP, the bench said that the director general of the authority has appeared before the court and submitted progress report in the mater, adding Balochistan Food Fortification Bill 2021 has been vetted and finalized, and same has been forwarded to cabinet for approval.
Last week, the court asked the director general of the food authority to turn up with a progress report on the matter during the next date of hearing on July 14.
