{
  "id": 11096706,
  "title": "IHC questions 7-year moratorium on OMCs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/ihc-questions-7-year-moratorium-on-omcs",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-01T02:02:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn Business",
    "slug": "dawn-business",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2033867/ihc-questions-7-year-moratorium-on-omcs"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has requested a detailed report from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) concerning the ongoing moratorium on new oil marketing companies (OMCs) that was introduced in 2019 but has reportedly persisted for nearly seven years. Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir issued notices to the respondents during a hearing of a case filed by Fuelex Petroleum Pvt Ltd against Ogra's refusal to grant an OMC license. According to the petition, Ogra denied Fuelex's application for an OMC license on April 14, 2026, citing the federal government's moratorium on establishing new OMCs. The company claimed that Ogra should have evaluated its application based on the criteria outlined in the Pakistan Oil Rules, 2016, rather than solely relying on the moratorium. The petition also challenges a January 9, 2019 directive that prohibited Ogra from accepting fresh applications from local investors until revised OMC licensing criteria were approved. The petitioner argued that the 2019 direction intended the moratorium to be a temporary measure until revised criteria were approved by the cabinet's Economic Coordination Committee. However, the company contended that the revised criteria had not been approved after approximately seven years, resulting in an indefinite moratorium on licensing new OMCs owned by local investors. Fuelex's counsel Yahya Niazi argued that the 2019 directive could not persist indefinitely, given its connection to the approval of revised licensing criteria. He also questioned the direction's validity under the Ogra Ordinance 2002 and the Pakistan Oil Rules, 2016, asserting that the authority to grant licenses lies with Ogra and that the licensing process must adhere to the regulatory framework. The court expressed that the petitioner's arguments needed consideration and instructed the respondents to submit their reports and detailed comments by the next hearing, set for October 8.",
  "summary": "ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sought a comprehensive report from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on the continued operation of a moratorium on the establishment of new oil marketing companies (OMCs), which was imposed in 2019 as an interim measure but has allegedly remained in force for nearly seven years. Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir issued notices to the respondents…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}