Pakistan Justice and Democratic Party (PJDP), founded by former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, on Friday filed a writ petition against a notification issued by the Cabinet Division that gave control of regulatory authorities such as OGRA, PEPRA, NEPRA, PTA and others to federal ministries.
Muhammad Nawaz, a member of PJDP, filed the petition through his counsel Sheikh Ahsanud Din, Muhammad Salahayeen Mughal, and Amir Mughal in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday.
Justice Athar Minallah of the IHC heard the writ petition.
The petitioner’s counsel pleaded before the court that regulatory bodies had an independent status under Article 153 and 154 of the Constitution of Pakistan.
The counsel stated that the notification violated the Constitution. “The prices of CNG increased in the immediate aftermath of the notification. The dealers have also been given a free hand to earn illegal profits,” the counsel said.
The petition stated that the constitutional rights of the provincial governments had been trampled upon and lives of masses had been made more difficult.
After hearing the petition, Justice Athar Minallah issued notices to the respondents. He also directed the attorney general of Pakistan to appear before the court and clarify the matter as it pertained to the interpretation of the Constitution.
The hearing was then adjourned till January 6, 2017.
Earlier, the chief ministers of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had also expressed concern over the government’s decision to place the regulatory bodies under the control of ministries.
