MUZAFFARGARH  -  In a significant legal victory, the Pak-Arab Refinery received a major relief from the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The Lahore High Court’s Multan Bench decision, which had caused substantial concerns, was suspended by a threemember bench led by the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Qazi Faiz Isa. The case revolved around a group of individuals posing as employees of a private company and attempting to pressure the Pak Arab Refinery into a multimillionrupee deal under the guise of regular employment at the refinery. For several years, the management of Pakistan’s largest oil refinery, located in the Gujrat area of Muzaffargarh, had been subject to relentless pressure from this group. Rather than yielding to these demands, the refinery’s administration pursued legal recourse and ultimately found favor in the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court’s decision was in response to an application submitted by the Pak- Arab Refinery, challenging the Multan Bench of the Lahore High Court’s ruling in this case. Importantly, the claimants had never been employees of the Pak Arab Refinery. They were initially employed by a company called Insta Clair, which held a service contract with Parco (Pakistan Arab Refinery Company). Importantly, this arrangement had not been contested in any court until now. Additionally, the individuals who were ordered to be regularized by the Lahore High Court were not originally employed by the Pak-Arab Refinery. They were employed by Instaclear, which provided them with various benefits, including salary.