ISLAMABAD: A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday upheld the dismissal of a petition filed against the appointment of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) executive director.

Mohammad Yasin was appointed as the Ogra executive director in 2002. He is a key prosecution witness in the Rs82 billion Ogra scam case in which Ogra`s former chairman, Taugir Sadiq, and some serving and former officials of the authority are allegedly involved.

According to the petition filed last year, Mr Yasin was working as the deputy director in the ministry of petroleum and natural resources in 2002 when he assumed the office of Ogra without relinquishing the charge of his previous post. For some time, he drew salaries from both the ministry and Ogra, it added.

According to the petitioner, Mr Yasin had also applied for the post of Ogra`s member oil and had been interviewed by a panelconstitutedforthe purpose.

Thepetitionerrequestedthecourttoissueadecreeagainst the initial appointment of Mr Yasin in Ogra and the process initiated for his recruitment as the member oil.

On October 16, 2015, the IHC single-member bench, comprising Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, dismissed the petition with the observation that the petition was filed to pressure Mr Yasin in the Ogra scam case.

Justice Siddiqui observed that the appointment of Mr Yasin was made in Ogra in 2002 but the petitioner never raised any objection for over a decade. He also failed to produce before the court any tangible material to substantiate any illegality in the appointment.

The petitioner then challenged the order before a division bench. The division bench, comprising Justice Noorul Haq N.

Qureshi and Justice Athar Minallah, upheld the order of Justice Siddiqui and dismissed the petition.