LAHORE – On Tuesday the Lahore High Court (LHC) suspended a notification issued for placing the five autonomous regulatory bodies under the administrative control of ministries.
The federal government had put five bodies including Oil and Gas Regulatory Bodies (OGRA), National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) under the ministries concerned.
The applicant argued before the court that a notification has been issued against the law and it should be suspended. After hearing the arguments, Chief Justice Mansoor Ali Shah ordered suspension of the notification.
In December 2016, Cabinet Division issued a notification regarding these amendments after formal approval of the Prime Minister.
The notification stated that NEPRA has been brought under the administrative control of Water & Power Division. PTA has been placed under the administrative control of Information Technology and Telecom Division. FAB will resume its functions under the administrative control of Information Technology and Telecom Division.
The prime minister has transferred administrative control of OGRA from Cabinet Division to Petroleum & Natural Resources Division. Similarly, PPRA will now be functional under administrative control of Finance Division.
The government had amended Rules of Business, 1973 in order to place these regulators under the ministries.
