A three-member Supreme Court bench led by Justice Mushir Alam and composed of Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah dismissed petitions in the Gas Infrastructure Development (GID) Cess case on Monday for investigation.
The judges mentioned during the hearing of the case that the government should not put too much pressure on the industry, adding that the government should start the projects and then make more cash recovery.
Makhdoom Ali Khan, a lawyer representing different sectors, argued during the hearing that the entire burden has been transferred to industrial and commercial customers. He said that in six months, the Supreme Court had ordered the government to begin work on national projects, but so far no plan has been launched.
He said as per official figures, the government has collected more than Rs295 billion so far, while Rs20 billion is expected for the North-South project and Rs75 billion for underground storage. The government would still have money left for a third project after finishing those projects, so there was no need to deposit another Rs460 billion.
Makhdoom Ali Khan said there was no possibility of beginning work on the gas pipeline projects for TAPI and Iran-Pakistan. He stressed that for the schemes, the government should first invest the money collected so far.
Additional Attorney General Amir Rehman was told by Justice Faisal Arab not to put heavy burdens on the business. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah said that it could recover further when the government runs the projects.
