[Lahore (Rawalpindi Bench)]
Before Jawad Hassan, J
SUI NORTHERN GAS PIPELINES LTD.----Petitioner
Versus
WAFAQI MOHTASIB and others----Respondents
Writ Petition No.1791 of 2023, heard on 15th November, 2023.
(a) Interpretation of statutes---
----Preamble---Object, purpose and scope---Preamble to a statute is not operational part of enactment but it is a gateway, which discusses purpose and intent of the Legislature to necessitate legislation on the subject---Preamble also sheds clear light on goals that the Legislator aims to secure through introduction of such law---Preamble of a statute holds a pivotal role for the purposes of interpretation in order to dissect true purpose and intent of law.
Director General, FIA and others v. Kamran Iqbal and others 2016 SCMR 447 rel.
(b) Establishment of the Office of Wafaqi Mohtasib (Ombudsman) Order (1 of 1983)---
----Arts.2(1), 3 & 9---Constitution of Pakistan, Art. 199---Constitutional petition---Mal-administration---Gas connection, providing of---Payment of urgent fee before cutoff date---Petitioner / Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Company was aggrieved of direction issued by Ombudsman to provide gas connection to respondent / complainant---Validity---Matter agitated in complaint was related to non-provision of new gas connection which was denied by petitioner company---Such action of petitioner company as "Agency" was in terms of Art. 2(1) of Establishment of the Office of Wafaqi Mohtasib (Ombudsman) Order, 1983---Order in question was unreasonable, unjust, oppressive and arbitrary, which amounted to mal-administration falling within the ambit of Art. 9 of Establishment of the Office of Wafaqi Mohtasib (Ombudsman) Order, 1983 for the purpose of exercise of jurisdiction by Ombudsman in the matter to undo act of administrative excess---Ombudsman rightly observed that respondent / complainant should not be penalized of such a ban where he had paid Urgent Fee before cutoff date---High Court declined to interfere in order passed by Ombudsman as the same did not suffer from any legal infirmity or jurisdictional defect---Constitutional petition was dismissed in circumstances.
Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority through Chairperson and others v. Sui Northern Gas Company Limited through Chairperson and others 2023 SCMR 908; Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat, Islamabad and others v. SNGPL, Lahore and others PLD 2020 SC 586 and Messrs Rana Textiles Ltd. through Chief Executive v. Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd. through Authorized Attorney and others 2016 YLR 1 distinguished.
The Managing Director, Sui Southern Gas, Co. Ltd. v. Saleem Mustafa Shaikh and others PLD 2001 SC 176; Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited v. Wafaqi Mohtasib and others PLD 2019 Lah. 169; Chief Executive, GEPCO and 3 others v. Asghar Ali Rana 2018 YLR 1391 and Muhammad Yousaf v. The Secretary Finance and others PLD 2021 Lah. 156 ref.
Jamal Mehmood Butt for Petitioner.
Malik Muhammad Siddique Awan, Additional Attorney General along with Arshad Mahmood Malik and Tahir Raheel Awan, Assistant Attorney Generals.
Asim Shahbaz Malik for Respondent No.1/Ombudsman.
Ahmad Nawaz Khan for Respondent No.2
Muhammad Wasiq Hassan and Hassan Mabroor for Respondent No.3.
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