IHC wants to know if govt hiked up fuel prices without Ogra proposal

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday issued a notice to the federal government to furnish comments on a petition challenging a recent hike in prices of petroleum products.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Gul Hassan Aurangzeb heard the case.

Advocate Rao Abdul Raheem contended before the bench that the government pushed up the prices of petroleum products in violation of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) rules.

At this, Justice Amir Farooq questioned whether the government jacked up prices on the Ogra’s recommendation or not.

Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Khawaja Imtiaz who was present in the courtroom walked up to the rostrum and assured the court of filing a reply to the petition on behalf of the government at next hearing.

The hearing was adjourned until next week.

On June 26, the federal government had increased petrol price by Rs25.58 after decreasing it a short while back resulting in a countrywide scarcity.

According to a notification issued by the government on the matter, new price for a litre of petrol was set at Rs100.10. High Speed Diesel’s new price was fixed at Rs101.46 per litre with an increase of Rs21.31 while light diesel’s new price at Rs55.98 per litre registering an increase of Rs17.84.