ISLAMABAD, May 9: The petroleum and natural resources secretary has moved the Supreme Court against the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), seeking initiation of the contempt of court proceedings for increasing the gas production price the day when the court had ordered the regulator to maintain the status quo.

In a petition, filed by lawyer Abid Hasan Minto, Petroleum Secretary Ijaz Chaudhry sought to penalise Ogra chairman Tauqir Sadiq, vice chairman and member finance Mir Kamal Khan Mari and member gas Mansoor Muzafar for committing contempt of the court by issuing a notification to increase the gas wellhead price from $2.8274 to $3.8999 per MMBTU on Feb 17, 2011, the same day when the court while hearing a separate case had ordered to maintain the `present arrangement`.

The petitioner pleaded that the notification had been hurriedly issued only to benefit a private party, Dewan Petroleum, at the cost of the government and public at large. He requested the court to suspend the notification till the time the main petition was decided.
Source: Dawn
Date:5/10/2011