Fixing petrol price is govt’s job: LHC

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday refused to intervene in a matter pertaining to the fixing of petroleum products prices. During the hearing on petitions submitted against the surge in petroleum prices, Justice Shahid Karim not only dismissed them as inadmissible but also expressed anger at the lawyers concerned, including Advocate Ahmed Masood Gujjar, for unnecessary petitioning. The judge asked whether it was his job to determine the price of petrol and added that it was the government’s duty to fix the price of petroleum products. On Monday, hearing the petition of the Judicial Activism Panel, the court also issued notices to the federal government, petroleum and interior ministries and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), directing them to file a written reply within two weeks. The court also directed the petitioner to withdraw the name of the prime minister as respondent. Azhar Siddiqui, the petitioner’s counsel presented his arguments, saying there was no mechanism to increase the price of petroleum products and added that Ogra could not increase the rates without a mechanism in place. He remarked that the matter pertained to public interest and that the court should look into its constitutionality. Siddiqui said the issue of sales tax on petroleum products was currently before a two-member bench. He requested the court to reverse the “illegal increase” in prices of petroleum products.

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