LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Friday extended its ban on the use of plastic bags to all stores, bakeries and hotels of the provincial metropolis giving them two-week time for the compliance.

Justice Shahid Karim observed that the scope of the ban would be expanded to other cities of Punjab province in the second phase.

The judge was hearing a public interest petition represented by Barrister Abuzar Salman Niazi when the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) filed its compliance report on enforcement of the ban in mega stores and bakeries.

The petitioner’s counsel pointed out that several hotels in the city had also been using plastic bags.

The judge directed the EPA to ensure ban on the use of polythene bags at all stores, bakeries and hotels of the city after a grace period of two weeks.

Get two weeks for compliance

Meanwhile, lawyers of different bottled water manufacturing companies made their appearance as the judge, on the last hearing, had issued notices to them for selling water in plastic bottles.

“The court will need your assistance on growing use of glass bottles in many parts of the world,” Justice Karim said to Advocate Salman Akram Raja, the counsel for Pepsi.

The counsel assured the court of his best assistance in the matter.

The judge asked the counsel for the water companies to tell the court, on the next hearing, as to how long it would take to abandon the use of plastic bottles.

Justice Karim had previously observed that the whole world had already given up selling water in plastic bottles and switched to glass.

Further hearing was adjourned till March 13.

Paragon scam: An accountability court on Friday adjourned trial proceedings of the Paragon City scam against former railways minister Khwaja Saad Rafiq and his brother former provincial minister Khwaja Salman Rafiq.

The jail officials produced the two brothers before the court while former MPA Qaiser Amin Butt, an approver in the case, did not appear due to health reasons.

A NAB prosecutor told the court that the former MPA was brought in an ambulance on the last hearing.

The court directed the prosecutor to submit fresh medical reports of Butt and adjourned hearing till March 19. The NAB accused the Khwaja brothers of wrongfully gaining Rs18.2 million approximately from M/s Paragon City (pvt) Limited in their bank accounts. It said the Khwaja brothers through their “benamidars” and with the abettment of former MPA Qaiser Amin Butt and Nadeem Zia established a housing project in the name of Air Avenue.

It said the suspects along with other accomplices cheated public at large and obtained illegal financial benefits from the funds of the illegal society.

Meanwhile, a duty judge also adjourned till March 19 the hearing of money laundering/illegal assets and Ramzan Sugar Mills cases against Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz.

Hamza was brought to the court under strict security arrangements.

PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif had been exempted from personal appearance by the court in the sugar mills case.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2020