Sugar mill owner in Pakistan writes to Asim Munir over its ‘illegal’ closure, seeks probe and action against two officials
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Sugar mill owner in Pakistan writes to Asim Munir over its ‘illegal’ closure, seeks probe and action against two officials")
The mill owner chose to write to Army Chief Asim Munir instead of taking up the issue with the government. Photograph: (AFP)
The sugar mill called for an impartial inquiry to determine the circumstances behind the closure and fix responsibility for any alleged irregularities. It also asked for a probe into the conduct of two officials, which it alleges has not remained confined to administrative overreach.
The owner of a sugar mill in Faisalabad, Pakistan, has written directly to the Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, seeking an investigation into the illegal closure of the unit and the “dubious” role of Punjab Cane Commissioner Amjad Hafeez and former Faisalabad Deputy Commissioner Captain (retd) Nadeem Nasir.
The owner of Chanar Sugar Mills, Faisalabad, has alleged in the complaint that its “unlawful closure” by authorities who stalled its operations caused a financial loss of more than Rs. 2 billion.
“The mill was forcibly sealed by Mr. Amjad Hafeez, Cane Commissioner, and Mr. Nadeem Nasir, the then Deputy Commissioner Faisalabad, in a manner that was arbitrary, disproportionate, and inconsistent with due process,” it says in the letter.
The closure resulted in colossal financial losses of the complex estimated in excess of Rs 2 billion, besides affecting direct and indirect employment and sugar growers.
The owner says that one of the grounds cited for the closure was outstanding liabilities owed to growers, which could have been cleared through continued operation of the mill. The deliberate closure stopped the revenue stream that was needed for clearing the dues.
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The sugar mill management also called for an impartial inquiry to determine the circumstances behind the closure and fix responsibility for any alleged irregularities.
“Order an independent inquiry into the conduct of Mr. Amjad Hafeez and Mr. Nadeem Nasir, which has not remained confined to administrative overreach but has resulted in the deliberate annihilation of a functioning and a compliant industrial enterprise,” the letter further reads.
There has been an ongoing dispute over sugarcane payments and the regulation of sugar mills in Pakistan’s Punjab.
In January 2026, Cane Commissioner Punjab Amjad Hafeez told a National Assembly committee that Chanar Sugar Mills had been stopped from crushing until outstanding dues were cleared.
He said the mill was allowed to resume crushing only after payments were made to 246 small cane growers.
In December 2025, the sugar mill paid Rs. 68.3 million to sugarcane growers.
The allegations in the mill’s complaint have not been independently established.
The letter also urges for Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) intervention in the revival of Chanar Sugar Mills Ltd and its associated energy concern.
Chanar Sugar Mills Ltd and its associated concern Chanar Energy Limited (22 megawatt) located at Tandlianwala district Faisalabad have long contributed to the national economy through tax revenue, employment generation, export of electricity to national grid and the procurement of sugarcane from the farming community, it said.
It further requested that SIFC be directed to facilitate an appropriate financial assistance and working-capital package through commercial banks or other relevant institutions, enabling the units to resume operations, protect employment, and ensure timely payment to growers.
Meanwhile, Chairman of Farmers’ Union Khalid Hussain Bath claimed that the ruling party in Pakistan owns the majority of sugar mills and hinted at some involvement of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s son in the closure of Chanar Sugar Mill.
Khalid Hussain Bath has also been seeking the resignation of Maryam Nawaz.
The episode exposes the hard reality of power being concentrated in the hands of the army in Pakistan, since the mill owner chose to write to Asim Munir instead of taking up the issue with the government.
