KARACHI, Nov 13: The Sindh High Court issued notices to the federal ministry of petroleum and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on Thursday in a petition seeking reduction in the prices of oil, gas and petroleum products in proportion to their decline in the international market.
Petitioner-lawyer Shaukat Ali Shaikh submitted before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Justice Ghulam Dastgir A. Shahani that while fixing the prices of oil and gas at Rs81.75 per litre and Rs44 per kilogram, the Ogra had justified the massive increase by referring to the steep rise in the world market.
The prices of diesel, kerosene and other petroleum products were also raised correspondingly. The increase led to higher bus, railway and air fares and greater transportation costs, resulting in an overall rise in the cost of living.
The prices have since registered a steep decline and the authority is bound to decrease the prices as per the government promise. There was no justification for charging higher prices and the poor people deserved a price relief. A proportionate price cut would not only rationalise the price structure but would also lower the fares and goods transportation cost. It would have a salutary effect on the overall price situation, the lawyer submitted.
The bench ordered that notices be issued to the respondent ministry and authority for Nov 27.
Termination stayed
The bench, meanwhile, suspended a provincial zakat and ushr council notification removing Maulvi Saifullah Memon, who also heads a union council in the district of Thatta, from the chairmanship of the local zakat and ushr committee.
The petitioner submitted through Advocate Ali Gohar Soomro that he was neither issued a show cause notice nor afforded an opportunity to deny any allegation against him. He said the court recently reinstated a zakat committee chief recently in identical circumstances.
Assistant Advocate-General Adnan Karim Memon submitted on behalf of the provincial zakat and ushr department and council that the petitioner was removed on a charge of misconduct. However, he sought time to file a detailed reply. The bench stayed the operation of the impugned notification and asked the AAG to submit a rejoinder on behalf of the respondents on Friday.
Notices reissued
The bench ordered that fresh notices be issued to the respondent agencies in a petition alleging illegal detention of Zohaib Rasool of Peshawar by the CID police in Karachi. The alleged detainee’s father Atique Rasool submitted through Advocate Maqboolur Rehman that Zohaib was picked up along with his friend Rehmat Shah in Peshawar.
While Atique was pursuing his remedy in the Peshawar High Court, he was informed by his friend Shahi Baloch of Mujahid Colony, Karachi, that his son was detained at the CID police station, Civil Lines, Karachi. Shahi was also detained there briefly. The petitioner said no agency had any power under the law to hold a person in custody on mere suspicion.
Bail for NAB accused
A division bench consisting of Justices Mohammad Athar Saeed and Arshad Noor Khan granted Mustafa Hasan Lakhani, a clearing and forwarding agent, bail in six cases in the sum of Rs500,000 each. He is involved in the 279-million-rupee duty rebate reference which has Raja Zaraat Khan, chairman of the Bawan Shah Group of Companies, as the main accused.
Advocates Raza Hashmi and Hassan Sabir argued on behalf of the accused applicant that all accused in the reference had already been admitted to bail.
The bench rejected former bulk water supply project deputy manager Sahibdad Mengal’s plea for acquittal under the National Reconciliation Ordinance of October 2007. He is alleged to have misappropriated a sizable amount allocated to the project. Sindh National Party activist Ashraf Nonari’s petition for release under the NRO was also dismissed by another bench. The judges observed that the ordinance had a restricted application.
Wheat supply to flour mill
A bench headed by the CJ, meanwhile, asked the food department to supply 1,000 bags of wheat to the Sarang Flour Mills, Kandhkot, pending its petition against cancellation of its licence.
The petitioner concern submitted that the regional food directorate of Larkana had wrongly cancelled its licence for extracting fines in a disproportionate quantity. It claimed that it had the capacity of grinding 1.5 tonnes of wheat per hour and required 3200 wheat bags to keep it running. Further proceedings were adjourned to Nov 20.
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