The Federal Constitutional Court on Wednesday ordered laboratory testing of oil tankers carrying hydrocarbons imported from Iran within 15 days, expressing concern over the fact that the vehicles had remained in customs custody for the past three years. A three-member bench headed by Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi heard the case concerning the Iranian oil consignment. During the hearing, the court observed that keeping oil tankers loaded with flammable material parked for such a long period posed a serious safety risk. Justice Rizvi remarked that if a fire were to break out due to something as minor as a lit cigarette, the question of responsibility would arise. The court noted that leaving the tankers standing for years was an extremely dangerous practice. Justice Rizvi also observed that the prolonged detention of the vehicles may have deprived their drivers of employment. Counsel for the customs authorities, Wasim Sajjad, argued that the tankers had been used to smuggle petrol from Iran. However, counsel for the importers maintained that the cargo did not consist of Iranian petrol but rather light aliphatic hydrocarbons. At this point, Justice Rozi Khan remarked that hydrocarbons constituted a major business sector and that various chemicals could be mixed with hydrocarbons to produce petrol. The court directed that samples of the material carried by the tankers be subjected to laboratory testing within 15 days. It further ruled that if the laboratory report confirmed the importers’ claim regarding the nature of the cargo, the tankers should be released against appropriate security. The Federal Constitutional Court also ordered the relevant forum to decide the matter conclusively within 30 days after completion of the laboratory testing process.
FCC orders testing of Iranian hydrocarbon-laden oil tankers
Published on: June 11, 2026 2:30 AM