Lawmakers censured the federal government in the Sindh Assembly on Friday over the prevailing gas crisis in the province, which produces 64 to 70 per cent of the total gas output of the country. Both the opposition and treasury benches criticised the Centre over gas loadshedding this summer.
"We have not seen a worse situation where gas supply is suspended to CNG and other industries for many weeks," said Grand Democrstic Alliance (GDA) MPA Nand Kumar Goklani as he moved a call attention notice on the issue. According to Goklani, thousands of CNG stations and industries that function on gas have been closed for the past three weeks and the federal government and the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) have been silent on the matter.
Goklani, whose party is part of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led coalition government in the Centre, asked for Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh to brief the house if the SSGC shares its loadshedding schedule for Sindh. It is not just businessmen, whose industries run on natural gas, that suffer but thousands of daily wage earners affiliated with these businesses also suffer, he noted.
Referring to the Constitution of Pakistan, the GDA lawmaker said that "first priority should be given [to] fulfilling the needs of the province which produces gas".
Responding to the call attention notice, Shaikh endorsed Goklani's views. "Sindh is getting about 900 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) when its requirement is of 1,700 MMCFD," noted Shaikh.
"Karachi is the economic hub of Pakistan. [But] it is being targeted by the federal government as its gas-run industries are now closed," said Shaikh. The energy crisis has worsened since the PTI government came into power, he added.
The energy minister informed the house that the Sindh government has registered its protest against the matter and recalled that the Sindh chief minister also raised the matter before the Council of Common Interest (CCI) at recent meetings.
The house adopted an adjournment motion moved by Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Shaheena Sher Ali on the prolonged gas outages for domestic consumers. The speaker allotted two hours for discussion on the matter on Monday.
The gas crisis across the country worsened after two state-owned companies announced earlier on Monday (June 28) the complete suspension of gas supply to industries and filling stations till July 5, citing a decline in the availability of gas, low pressure in the system and dry docking of an LNG terminal.
On Thursday, the SSGC spokesperson said that the matter would be resolved by July 5.
Mazdoor cards
Meanwhile, the house unanimously passed The Sindh Employees Social Security (Amendment) Act 2021 paving the way for all labourers to receive the Benazir Mazdoor Card. "In order to provide social security to all workers or self-employed in any establishment and to issue all workers Mazdoor Card, it is expedient to amend the existing law," read the statement of objects of the bill.
Moreover, the house passed The Sindh Terms of Employment (Standing Orders) (Amendment) Act 2021, the Ziauddin University Examination Board (Amendment) Act 2021 and The Ziauddin University (Amendment) Act 2021.
Earlier, during the question answer session, Sindh Minorities Affairs Minister Hari Ram Lal informed the house that a five percent quota for minorities is in place in all departments besides a quota for differently-abled persons.
Read More: SNGPL suspends gas supply to industry
PTI boycott
When the session had begun, PTI lawmakers boycotted the session in protest against the suspension of eight MPAs from the house. The lawmakers were suspended for taking out the "funeral of democracy" and staging a demonstration inside the house claiming they were denied the chance to speak on the budget.
Speaking to the media, Opposition Leader Haleem Adil Sheikh said that the PTI members of assembly would not be attending any sitting till the ban on their lawmakers was lifted. Accusing Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani of being biased, Haleem alleged that the lawmakers were suspended to appease the PPP leadership and "victimise the PTI" in Sindh.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 3rd, 2021.
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