The Lahore High Court on Thursday sought a reply from the federal government on two separate petitions pertaining to loadshedding and inflation, as people across the country continue to roil from prolonged power cuts.
The Judicial Activism Panel filed the two petitions — on loadshedding and inflation — which were taken up by Justice Shahid Karim today.
The petitions were filed amid reports the energy shortfall across the country exceeds 7,000MW.
The PML-N's Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, in a press conference on Monday, had said alongside federal ministers that loadshedding would be reduced to three-and-a-half hours by Tuesday. The former petroleum minister also promised that the duration would reduce further to under three hours by June 16. "By June 30, it will be less than two hours," he had said.
During the hearing, Justice Karim noted it was being said that the energy crisis would end by July. He addressed Advocate Azhar Siddique, counsel for the petitioner, and said: "Why is it that all your pleas are fixed before my court?"
The lawyer replied, "This is a case of public interest. What can I say?"
He added that there were court decisions pertaining to matters taken up today and "somehow, these things need to be fixed". "This is why it is said that decisions should not be issued on such matters," Justice Karim remarked.
At that, the lawyer urged the court to "ask the government what has to be done about inflation".
"This inflation is spreading across the world. A food crisis is looming now," the judge observed. "What can be done in this entire cycle?"
The lawyer drew Justice Karim's attention to a previous case pertaining to smog and said that the judge had "highlighted a number of things related to the environmental issue".
"It will be good if work on this (pleas under consideration) progress alongside," he added.
Following that, the judge summoned replies from the federal government on power cuts and the Punjab government on inflation. The hearing was then adjourned for two weeks.
