The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday issued notices to the federal government and Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) Chairman Tauqir Sadiq on a constitutional petition challenging the appointment of OGRA chairman.
A division bench comprising Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Shahid Anwar Bajwa heard a petition filed by Maula Bux Khatian, who had alleged that the OGRA chairman possessed a fake law degree (LLM) degree.
The bench after hearing the preliminary arguments from the petitioner’s side, issued notices to the respondents to submit their comments in the next hearing to be held on May 7.
Khatian, a BPS-21 officer, claimed that the LLM degree possessed by Sadiq was not recognised from any institution and was obtained from a dubious UK-based university, which was not even accredited and had been fined for deceptively representing itself as a university despite lack of proper accreditation.
Questioning the eligibility of the OGRA chairman, the appellant submitted that neither Sadiq held a genuine degree nor he had the required professional experience for the job.
The plaintiff stated that one of the requirements of the OGRA chairman post was a Masters’ degree from an approved and recognised degree-awarding institution, whereas, the respondent even did not fulfil the advertised criteria required.
The petitioner had submitted that the appointment of Sadiq was highly objectionable, as he is the same person who had been already considered for the same post but was rejected by the prime minister.
The plaintiff termed the OGRA chairman’s appointment a clear violation of laws and apparent favouritism because the prime minister had appointed him on the post after refusing him for the same job in the past. He also claimed that his appointment was politically-motivated as he was the brother-in-law of Pakistan People’s Party secretary general Jahangir Badar.
“Earlier in 2009, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had rejected the summary for Sadiq’s appointment as OGRA chairman, but he was still appointed on July 22, 2009 on the recommendation of a committee headed by then federal power minister Raja Pervaiz Ahsraf,” the counsel for the petitioner stated.
Citing the OGRA chairman, the cabinet secretary, the establishment secretary, the petroleum secretary, and the cabinet deputy secretary as respondents, Khatian appealed to the court to declare Sadiq’s appointment illegal and void and cancel the transfer orders.
