Supreme Court fixes GIDC case hearing on Oct 22

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has fixed hearing of the Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) case on October 22, ARY News reported on Friday.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Musheer Alam will hear the GIDC case on Tuesday, Oct 22. Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah will be other members of the bench.

The court’s registrar office has issued notices to Attorney General and other parties in the case.

The federal government had moved to the Supreme Court over Gas Infrastructure Development Cess ordinance and sought early hearing of the case.

Following the directives of the Prime Minister Imran Khan, Attorney General had filed a petition at the top court’s registrar office which sought immediate hearing of the GIDC case.

It is pertinent to mention here that Prime Minister Imran Khan had decided to withdraw the GIDC ordinance on September 04 in view of the controversy surrounding the law that allowed to waive off Rs210 billions of Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC).

The PM Office in a statement had said, “The prime minister, in the interest of transparency and good governance, has decided to withdraw the said Ordinance.”

However, the statement added that “the prime minister wishes to inform the nation that going to the court carries a risk because the decision could go either way.”

The government faced criticism for granting major discount of around Rs 420bn GIDC, payable by fertiliser plants, power plants, general industry and the CNG sector. It extended Rs 210 billion waver to the gas sector businesses under the GIDC ordinance.