ISLAMABAD, May 20: A nine-member bench of the Supreme Court will begin hearing of a petition filed by the Watan Party, challenging the privatisation of the Pakistan Steel Mills from Wednesday.

The bench is led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and comprises Justice Rana Bhagwandas, Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, Justice Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi, Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad, Justice Hamid Ali Mirza and Justice Karamat Nazir Bhandari.

On March 31, PSM’s 75 per cent shares were sold for Rs21.68 billion ($362 million), while only a day ago, market analysts were estimating the price at over $1 billion. The mills’ real estate alone (4,546 acres of land) was estimated at Rs27 billion in March.

The larger bench would later be reconstituted and divided into three benches.

The chief justice has also constituted five benches at the main registry in Islamabad and two benches at the Branch Registry in Peshawar for the week commencing from May 22 to 26, except May 24, (the date for hearing of the case).

No bench has so far been constituted for branch registries at Lahore, Karachi and Quetta.

From Monday to Friday, the five benches would work at the court’s principal seat in Islamabad and their constitution will be as follows: Bench 1: The chief justice, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar and Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad. Bench No II: Justice Rana Bhagwandas, Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani and Justice Karamat Nazir Bhandari. Bench No III: Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi and Justice Hamid Ali Mirza. Bench No IV: Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan, Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday and Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed and Bench No V: Justice Faqir Mohammad Khokhar and Justice M Javed Buttar.

Justice Shakirullah Jan will perform chamber work during the week.

Two benches would work at the branch registry in Peshawar. They would comprise Justice Falak Sher and Justice Nasirul Mulk (Bench No I) and Justice Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmed and Justice Syed Jamshed Ali (Bench No II).