ATTOCK   -   The Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench has issued notices in response to a public interest writ petition filed by Former Federal Minister Malik Amin Aslam and his son Malik Shamsher. The petition demands constitutional rights for the residents of Attock, including hydel royalty from the Ghazi Barotha Power Project under Article 161, and gas provision rights under Article 158 to 35 villages with ongoing oil and gas extraction.

The petition, invoking Article 199 of the Constitution, seeks royalty and other benefits for Attock’s inhabitants. Notices have been sent to various respondents, including the Secretary of Finance, Petroleum, Planning, OGDCL, Chief Secretary Punjab, and DC Attock. The people who sent the petition say that even though Attock has fully cooperated and made a big contribution to the national economy, it has not yet received its constitutionally protected financial rights.