Petrol crisis: LHC seeks federal govt’s inquiry findings

Court asks officials to submit minutes of Oil Advisory Committee’s meeting.

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday asked the federal officials to submit the findings of an inquiry conducted by the federal government into the petrol crisis and minutes of the Oil Advisory Committee’s meeting held in December 2014.

Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah was hearing two petitions filed about the shortage of petrol.

During the hearing, the petroleum ministry’s legal director stated that the secretary, joint secretary and the director general of oil could not appear before the court as they had been suspended from service.

The officer said that oil prices had decreased by Rs28 during the last five months. “This caused a serious disparity in the supply and demand of petrol. The Oil Advisory Committee had held a meeting in December, 2014 to review the supply situation,” he said.

The judge expressed dissatisfaction over the failure of the official to submit the minutes of the meeting.

An executive director of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) told the court that the authority had the mandate to issue licenses to oil companies and monitor their functions. “Oil companies determine prices on their own,” he said.

The deputy attorney general stated that a mechanical fault at Parco and significant decline in petrol prices were the main reasons behind the shortage. “The sale of petrol rose dramatically after the prices declined,” he said.

Justice Shah, however, termed the explanation unsatisfactory and directed him to submit the government’s inquiry report. The judge adjourned the hearing till February 6.

Safdar Shaheen Pirzada and Gohar Nawaz Sindhu had filed the petitions. They alleged that the shortage of petrol was an artificial one. They stated that the shortage could lead to anarchy. The petitioners said that the government had tried to protect the people responsible for the crisis and was delaying the inquiry. They asked the court to order a judicial inquiry.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2015.