Punishment for making & sale of Gutka: Sindh government given 10th December deadline for legislation

Sindh High Court (SHC) gave the provincial government a deadline of December 10, 2019 to legislate on punishment for manufacturing and sale of Gutka.

A division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar issued the orders to Sindh Government while hearing the case related to action against Gutka manufacturing and sale.

Secretary Health Sindh and other officials appeared in the hearing of the case. They submitted that a summary has been moved to high ups for legislation against the trade of Gutka.

The court directed that the operation should continue against the people involved in the business of Gutka manufacturing and sale.

The court also issued the orders to the provincial government to take immediate measures for enacting the law for punishment to be awarded to elements involved in the trade of Gutka and gave the time till December 10, 2019 in this regard.

The Secretary Health told the bench that the department had submitted the record of twenty hospitals carrying the figures of patients suffering from diseases, caused by Gutka use.

Meanwhile, the SHC bench sought the legal and technical arguments from National Accountability Prosecutors (NAB) in a petition related to bail plea of Agha Siraj Durrani, Speaker Sindh Assembly and others in assets beyond means case.

The court directed NAB prosecutor to complete his arguments in the next hearing and said that the court has not enough time to waste while hearing the lengthy arguments.

The court observed that NAB prosecutor is saying the same thing, which his predecessor used to say when the counsel of accused cautioned that prosecutor can be transferred like his predecessor before the conclusion of his arguments.