LAHORE: Days after the government increased petroleum prices by up to Rs8.14 per litre, a petition filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday challenged the move the government insisted was aimed at ensuring the revival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.
The petitioner, Azhar Siddique, argued the prices have been increased without approval from the federal cabinet.
The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) and the federal government have been nominated as respondents.
In a hearing on Thursday, a two-member bench of the high court, headed by Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh, asked the government to apprise the court regarding the procedure of fixing the prices of petroleum products.
The court had also issued a notice to Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan.
The petitioner maintained there was no procedure to fix the prices of petroleum products and claimed the government was receiving 17 percent sales tax.
The petitioner further said the government’s imposition of sales tax on essential items was a violation of the Constitution.
