ISLAMABAD: The PML-N filed an application in the Supreme Court on Thursday requesting it to freeze the June 30 notification of increasing the prices of petroleum products till the disposal of its petition on oil price mechanism pending with the court.

Moved under Order 33, Rule 6, of the Supreme Court, the application was filed by Advocate Mohammad Ikram Chaudhry on behalf of PML-N Secretary General Iqbal Zafar Jhagra.

Mr Jhagra is one of the petitioners who have challenged the oil price mechanism before the Supreme Court.

The apex court appointed a judicial commission, headed by Justice (retd) Rana Bhagwandas, which was to submit its report on June 30 but it has apparently not finalised its recommendations.

‘Since the working of the commission is highly technical and involves questions which could only be answered by experts, therefore, the commission may be taking time,’ Advocate Chaudhry told Dawn.

The government on June 30 increased the prices of petroleum products by 10.5 to 19.7 per cent for July because of an increase in oil pries in the international markets and the replacement of petroleum development levy by carbon surcharge.

Oil marketing companies increased the price of high speed diesel by Rs6.94 to Rs62.65 per litre.

The PML-N leader said the public at large would suffer a lot if the notification was not suspended. The recent increase in the prices of petroleum products was without any legal justification and amounted to imposing ‘highest tax’, especially in the light of an observation of the Supreme Court to reduce the prices, the petition said.

The decision of the government and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority spoke of illegal and unconstitutional tactics aimed at heavily taxing people which would make their lives miserable, the application said, adding that people were being illegally deprived of their hard-earned income.