HYDERABAD, Oct 18: The Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court on Wednesday stayed the lease of Lakhra power plant till Oct 31 and issued notices to the chairman of Wapda, federal government, federal ministry of water and power and Privatisation Commission to submit their comments by that date.

The court passed the order on a writ petition filed by Lakhra power plant employees who were represented by Barrister Mujeeb Pirzada.

Mr Pirzada said at a news conference that the court had restrained the lessor and the lessee from taking any further action till Oct 31.

He said that according to the guidelines the Supreme Court of Pakistan, clearly laid down in the Pakistan Steel Mills privatisation case, the process of privatisation of any national entity must be open and must be widely publicised in newspapers. These guidelines had not been followed in the case of signing the lease of the Lakhra plant, he added.