Tareen withdraws plea against regulatory bodies’ control to ministries

LAHORE: PTI leader Jahangir Khan Tareen on Wednesday withdrew his petition filed in 2017 challenging transfer of administrative control of five regulatory bodies to their respective ministries.

In the case, the court in February 2017 had suspended the impugned notification issued by the PML-N’s government on Dec 19, 2016 that placed the control of National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (Pepra) and Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) under their respective ministries.

During the Wednesday’s hearing, a lawyer appeared on behalf of Jahangir Tareen and sought permission to withdraw the petition which was duly allowed.

However, hearing another connected petition, Justice Shujaat Ali Khan observed the matter was of public importance. The judge directed a deputy attorney general to seek instructions from the secretary establishment whether the impugned notification putting the autonomous bodies under the control of respective ministries had been withdrawn or the present regime wanted to pursue the previous policy.

The hearing was adjourned till July 4.

The other petition was filed by a citizen namely Ali Irfan through Advocate Sheraz Zaka pleading that an approval from Council of Common Interest (CCI) was mandatory under the constitution for transferring the control of the autonomous regulatory bodies to the ministries.

The counsel stated that the Supreme Court in its judgments also declared approval from the CCI a mandatory provision for the purpose. He said the government on the one hand was involved in production and transmission of electricity while on the other hand it wanted to assume the role of regulator by placing Nepra under the control of water and power ministry.