LAHORE: A local court on Tuesday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for former Punjab Food Authority (PFA) director Ayesha Mumtaz and eight others over failure to appear before the court to testify in a case.

The court ordered DIG Operations Lahore to arrest the witnesses including Food Safety Officer Yasir Arafat, Assistant Food Safety Officer Husnain Rasool, Sub-Inspector Muhammad Asif, ASI Khadim Hussian, Head Constable Muhammad Shafique, Constable Safdar Ali and Rafaqat Ali, besides Ayesha Mumtaz, and produce them on January 24.

The court summoned the witnesses many times but they failed to appear.

Judicial Magistrate Malik Azmatullah Awan passed the orders while hearing a case, registered over violation of Punjab Food Safety Act.

In 2016, the authority had got registered a case against a factory in Taj Park area after it was found during a raid that inferior quality chilli sauce was being prepared by it.