LAHORE, Dec 22: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday dismissed a petition alleging adulteration of hazardous substances and chemicals in packed milk.
A German laboratory in a report had declared the milk “fit for human consumption”.
Watan Party had filed the petition invoking constitutional jurisdiction of the high court, which said melamine and other chemicals injurious to human health were being used in the milk products being packaged in the form of tetra pack.
The court heard arguments of petitioner’s counsel Barrister Zafarullah Khan, the counsel for manufacturers of packed milk as well as amicus curiae. Barrister Syed Ali Zafar, who assisted the court, traced the history of the case and submitted that the court had carried out detailed investigation into the allegations and sent the samples of packed milk to five different laboratories, including the PCSIR and the Punjab food department, for testing the milk.
He informed the court that in all the reports it was declared that the packed milk was free from any contamination.
He further submitted that in spite of this there were demands that the milk should be tested by an independent best International Food Inspecting Institution.
Therefore, with the consent of all concerned including the amicus curiae, the court had appointed Eurofins of Germany to conduct a thorough examination of all packed milk products in Pakistan. The report was submitted directly by the German company to the court and it declared all the packed milk products “fit for human consumption”.
The court after examining the report concluded that the allegations of contamination made by Watan Party against packed milk were unsubstantiated and contradicted by this report, and dismissed the petition. The petition was based on a news report which reported that 80 per cent milk supplied to the consumers was poisonous and a source of their deaths.
Barrister Zafarullah had contended that according to data of 19,718 samples of milk collected by the food department in the last five years, almost 17,529 samples were found adulterated.
Percentage of adulterants includes urea or melamine (30 per cent), substandard cooking oil (70 per cent), powdered singharas (40 per cent), unhygienic water (50 per cent), formalin, a chemical used by doctors to preserve human body (35 per cent), penicillin for enhancing the thickness and fragrance of milk (47 per cent), hair-removing powder (29 per cent), zoonotic pathogens (27 per cent), and other adulterants including soda bicarbonate, to improve the taste, urea to lend it uniformity and melamine added as protein booster.
Barrister Zafarullah had pointed out that this tainted milk was being sold for the last many years in Pakistan and melamine had caused kidney stones or kidney failure especially among infants.
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