CJ suggests NA speaker to form MPs body to probe petrol crisis.

LAHORE -- Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan on Tuesday suggested the National Assembly speaker to constitute a committee comprising parliamentarians from the treasury and the opposition to probe into the recent shortage of petrol in the country.

CJ Khan asked Attorney General Khalid Javed Khan to discuss the court's suggestion with the NA speaker.

He observed that the court wanted the parliament to do the job on its own, otherwise, the law would take its course and no official, if found guilty, would be spared.

The chief justice directed the attorney general to assist the court on the next hearing, if the speaker did not form a committee, whether a commission under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) would be appropriate to hold an investigation into the fuel crisis.

The chief justice was hearing a petition seeking action against the authorities concerned for their alleged failure to overcome the petrol shortage.

At the outset of the hearing, counsel for the petitioner sought the court's permission to withdraw the petition, saying there was no more shortage of petrol in the country.

However, Chief Justice Khan turned down the request.

AGP Khan filed an application on behalf of Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Azam Khan for one-time exemption from personal appearance.

The CJ expressed his dismay saying it seemed that the principal secretary should be summoned through an arrest warrant.

The attorney general said the secretary could not appear due to meeting of the federal cabinet.

Referring to the principal secretary, Chief Justice Khan observed, 'It is said that whatever he says is law. If this is the case, let's talk to him and see.'

The chief justice noted that the secretary would not have been given exemption from personal appearance if the attorney general had not appeared before the court.

He also questioned the manner in which prices of petroleum products had been increased suddenly before the end of month.

'How much you benefited the oil marketing companies by increasing prices?' the chief justice asked the attorney general and also directed him to apprise the court on the next hearing about the storage capacity of the companies.

Assisting the court, Advocate Awais Khalid, the amicus curiae, stated that the Ministry of Petroleum and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) were responsible for regulating import and storage of petrol in view of the country's demand. He said the ministry, Ogra, oil...