islamabad-The Islamabad High Court yesterday directed to take appropriate action in a matter of confiscation of 350-kg consignment of dates of a director of International Islamic University at Benazir Bhutto Airport due to the some paperwork problem.
A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Athar Minallah conducted hearing of the petition of Director IIUI Abdullah Al-Afifi and issued these directions after the request of the in-charge quarantine department, Shahid Abdullah, who sought time from the court to seek instructions from the competent authority to resolve the matter.
Justice Athar Minallah said in his order, “Court expects that the respondents shall take appropriate action in accordance with the object of Plant Quarantine Act, 1976.” After issuing these directions, the IHC single bench adjourned the hearing till June 20.
The director IIUI has approached the IHC through his counsel Rehanuddin Khan Golra and sought court’s intervention after his consignment of around 350-kg Saudi dates was held at Islamabad airport due to paperwork problems.
Justice Minallah had issued notice to the ministry of national food, security and research after the Director Abdullah Al-Afifi filed a petition seeking release of the consignment at the earliest. He adopted in his petition that the consignment contains perishable items and is detained without any justification.
In his petition, he cited the secretary of ministry of national food, security and research and Dr Huma, an Entomologist at the department of Plant Protection posted at the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed International Airport, as respondents.
The petitioner contended that the customs authorities had no objection over the shipment but the officials of the food ministry stopped the consignment and ordered to produce the quarantine certificate which must be issued by the ministry of agriculture, Saudi Arabia.
In the petition, Golra said that the consignment was sent to the director of IIUI from Dakheel Abdullah Al-Faheed, owner of the farm Al-Zulfi at Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He said that flight number 724 brought the consignment from KSA, it was received by the airport authorities on May 18 and the petitioner was accordingly informed about it.
Golra said that Al-Afifi sent a representative to receive the consignment of the dates but the entomologist of ministry of food stopped it and sought quarantine certificate.
The counsel said that the petitioner produced the quarantine certificate issued by the ministry of agriculture of KSA in Arabic language and translated into English.
He added that the phytosanitary certificate bears a declaration that contents of the certificate are according to the quarantine requirements in the country and the undersigned undertake all liabilities in this regard.
However, he said, Dr Huma refused to accept the certificate and “desired” to produce the quarantine certificate of Saudi Arabia as per the format which bears one Arabic line and second line in English.
Therefore, he prayed to the court that the order of the entomologist be set aside, besides issuing directions to accept the quarantine certificate and release the shipment of dates.