PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Monday sought comments from the provincial government, Federal Investigation Agency, Federal Board of Revenue and other respondents on a petition, which alleged that the province’s unregistered fruit, vegetables and livestock markets were involved in money laundering.

A bench consisting of Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Mohammad Nasir Mehfooz issued notices to all respondents in the petition seeking response to the petition jointly filed by Mardan Chamber of Commerce and Industry executive committee’s member Zahir Shah and vegetable dealers Rehman Ghani and Mohammad Saeed, who requested the court to order the government to register all fruit, vegetable and livestock markets in the province.

It issued the order after the preliminary hearing into the petition.

The petitioners requested the court to declare illegal the private markets of vegetables, fruits and livestock functioning in the province with the government’s permission.

Petitioners allege the markets involved in money laundering

Mohammad Muazzam Butt, lawyer for the petitioners, requested the court to direct the federal and provincial governments and revenue authorities to put up a necessary mechanism to document the business of vegetables, fruits and livestock and channelise the same through banks to check money laundering.

He said the All Pakistan Agriculture Produce Traders Federation had been functioning illegally for being not registered with the director general (trade organisations).

The lawyer requested the court to declare the functioning of the federation unconstitutional and its election illegal. He contended that without work permits, Afghan refugees had been involved in that business.

The lawyer said the business related to the import and export of vegetables, fruits, livestock and agricultural produces involved transactions of billions of rupees on a daily basis.

He added that such goods were transported from Afghanistan to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Afghanistan, and from Punjab to Afghanistan through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa every day.

Mr Butt said the government was under lawful obligation to regularise those businesses and regulate market affairs.

He said the provincial government had established only two registered markets for those businesses, whereas more than 100 markets were being privately operated.

The lawyer claimed that the entire business carried out within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was undocumented.

He alleged that Malik Mohammad All Sohni owning ‘fake organisations’ had been acting as a bridge between the government and stakeholders.

Mr Butt added that the man had earlier made a voluntary return deal with the National Accountability Bureau in 2015 over involvement in some corrupt practices and was pardoned by the NAB.

He said Malik Sohni claimed of holding elections of all those related with those businesses under the banner of the All Pakistan Agriculture Produce Traders Federation.

The lawyer said the only federation recognised by law was the All Pakistan Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, so Malik Sohni was cheating people by running an illegal federation.

Respondents in the petition are Malik Sohni, KP government through the chief secretary, provincial secretaries of home, agriculture and local government departments, State Bank of Pakistan through chief manager of Peshawar region, KP Revenue Authority, FIA Peshawar director, NAB KP director general, and FBR through its chairman.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2020