PESHAWAR(National Times)- The federal government on Wednesday agreed to resume the supply of 35mmcfd natural gas to the CNG stations of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from Thursday (today).
The decision was made during a meeting between the representatives of the federal government and KP in Islamabad, according to a senior government official.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed a ministerial committee to discuss the suspension of gas supply to CNG stations in KP.
Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, adviser to the chief minister on finance Muzzammil Aslam, opposition leader in the KP Assembly Dr Ibadullah and other officials represented the provincial side, while the federal government was represented by special assistant to the prime minister on political affairs Rana Sanaullah, federal minister for petroleum Ali Pervez Malik, and officials of SNGPL and other relevant departments.
A KP government official, who attended the meeting, told Dawn that in the meeting, the federal government agreed to resume the supply of 35mmcfd gas to the CNG stations of the province from Thursday.
He said that the CNG stations would receive the gas from 6am to 6pm.
The official said the provincial domestic and commercial sector’s daily gas requirement stood at 120mmcfd and the province was getting it without interruption, whereas the province’s CNG station required 40 to 45mmfcd gas supply on a daily basis but it was curtailed last month.
He said that following discussion between KP and Centre’s representatives, the supply of natural gas to CNG stations would resume today (Thursday).
Meanwhile, a statement quoted adviser to the chief minister on finance Muzzammil Aslam as thanking Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and Opposition Leader Dr Ibadullah for supporting the chief minister on “this sensitive issue for the people of KP”.
He said that Article 158 stated that gas supply within the country cannot be stopped. “Gas helps produce cheaper electricity and the Constitution says gas should first be supplied to the province where it is produced, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the largest gas-producing province in Pakistan,” he said in the statement.
Meanwhile, Governor Kundi said in a statement that all political parties were united for resolving the province and its people’s problems as the top priority.
He said everyone would have to play their role to address those issues.
“We want a strong federation and therefore, we requested the prime minister to take notice of this [CNG supply] matter. We informed the prime minister about it and an agreement was reached to provide 35mmcfd gas to KP,” he said.
The governor said CNG stations across the province would reopen Thursday to provide uninterrupted gas supply from 6am to 6pm.
He said the federal government and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were jointly working to resolve issues.
Mr Kundi said that the prime minister had taken action on the wheat issue as well, which was expected to be resolved in a day or two.
Separately, Governor Kundi thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for forming a committee to resolve the issue of gas supply to CNG stations.
He welcomed the decision to restore 35mmcd gas supply to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and provide uninterrupted gas supply from 6am to 6pm.
“These are positive developments towards addressing the province’s genuine concerns,” he said, appreciating the coordination between the federal and KP governments in resolving the matter.
The governor also thanked prime minister’s adviser Rana Sanaullah and federal minister Ali Pervaiz Malik for their role in the amicable resolution of the issue.
He appreciated the role of the provincial government and opposition parties in resolving the public issue and said the unity between the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and the opposition was a positive step in public interest.
When contacted, KP CNG Association president Fazl Muqeem said that the association had yet to receive orders regarding the reopening of CNG stations.
He said that gas supply to over 600 CNG stations in the province had been suspended since April 14.
Last Monday, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi asked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to intervene to end the CNG crisis in the province.
The same day, CM Afridi and Governor Kundi, along with opposition parties, held a joint news conference, decrying the “unfair treatment” being meted out to KP.
Terming the gas shortage “unconstitutional” and vowing that the provincial government cannot stand for “illegal and unconstitutional decisions”, CM Afridi instructed his administration not to cooperate with the federal government in directives relating to the gas supply.
