The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued a notice to Deputy Attorney General (DAG) in response to a petition challenging the privatisation of Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL). A single-member bench of IHC comprising Justice Athar Minallah resumed the hearing of a petition filed by petitioner Zaheeruddin Babar through his counsel G M Chaudhry, praying before the court to stop the government from the privatisation of OGDCL.
During the course of proceedings, the court also directed the DAG to submit his written reply on the matter and deferred the hearing with date in office. The Petitioner's counsel maintained before the court that OGDCL is a common property of both federation and the provinces and the federal government could not take alone the decision of privatising the said institution.
The petitioner argued before the court that the Prime Minister did not consult the other members of CCI before appointing chairman and members of privatisation commission and appointed his 'handpicked' persons as the Chairman and Members, who advertised the privatisation plan of different state-owned institutions, organisations, companies, in a shabby manner. He contended that the federal government instead of privatising deadwood or loss-giving organisations has put the most strategic and highly profitable organisations on sale. The petitioner added that OGDCL is a profit-earning entity with billions of rupees assets in the form of strategic hydrocarbon and mineral resources of the country.
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