Supreme Court dismisses review petitions against GIDC

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday dismissed all review petitions against the Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) and sought a comprehensive report from the federal government regarding commencement of work on laying of the North-South pipeline and TAPI pipeline.

A three-member special bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Mushir Alam and comprising Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, dismissed all review petitions filed by around 85 textile mills, cotton mills, sugar mills, ceramics companies, chemicals, CNG filling stations, match factories, cement companies and aluminum industries against the GIDC levy.

In August, the apex court, in its 47–page with a 2-1 majority judgment, had declared the levy imposed under the Gas Infrastructure Development Cess Act, 2015, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

The court, however, had held that the federal government shall take all steps to commence work on laying of the North-South pipeline within six months, TAPI pipeline as its laying in Afghanistan reaches the stage where work on the project in Pakistan can start conveniently and on IP pipeline as the sanctions on Iran are no more an impediment.