The Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to adjudicate itself the dispute between the federal and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) governments regarding the privatisation of 10 per cent shares of Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL).
In view of its decision, the three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk has summoned all the record of the case from the Peshawar High Court and hinted to dispose the matter on October 20.
On Monday, the bench, while referring to Article 184 (1) of the Constitution, directed the attorney general of Pakistan, as well as the KP government’s counsel to assist it on determining whether the high court has jurisdiction to decide conflicting issues related to the distribution of natural resources between the national and provincial governments.
Article 184(1) of the Constitution reads that “the Supreme Court shall, to the exclusion of every other court, have original jurisdiction in any dispute between any two or more governments”.
During the hearing on Monday, the CJP asked who will implement the formula of resource distribution between the centre and provinces.
AGP Salman Aslam Butt contended that the PHC had no jurisdiction to stay the privatisation of OGDCL, adding that privatisation of 10 per cent shares of the OGDCL was in the national interest.