The News reported that Lahore High Court extended a stay order granted to the LPG marketing companies, suspending controversial clauses of the LPG Policy 2011.

Further hearings in the petitions filed by Barrister Shahid Hamid and Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan were heard by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah. During the hearing, deputy attorney general appeared on behalf of the federal government and Shaukat Pirzada appeared on behalf of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority.

In another petition filed by other LPG marketing companies, Justice Umar Ata Bandial provided interim relief to the petitioners by also suspending the clauses of the LPG Policy. The petition was filed by Barrister Khwaja Tariq Rahim.

Mr Belal Jabbar spokesman for the LPG Association of Pakistan said that “The local LPG industry had no other option, but to approach the honorable courts given the ministry’s open hostility. The directives of the Honorable Lahore High Court have impacted the market very positively, prices have come down. Even now, we request and urge the ministry and OGRA to exercise prudence and work with the LPG industry to promote and protect the public and national interests.”

The sources said that the suspended clauses are controversial because they aim at giving monopoly rights to the public sector, raise local LPG prices through imposition of a special tax and force the LPG marketing companies to purchase imported LPG from the brokers.

They said that different LPG marketing companies have filed three cases so far against the LPG Policy, which was formulated without the input of the stakeholders. Repeated requests by the LPG producers and LPG marketing companies to discuss the policy with the officials of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources have been denied, forcing them to exercise their legal options.

(Sourced from www.thenews.com.pk)