Kohat demands oil and gas royalties

PTI MPAs walk out of assembly in show of dissent

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly treasury members, in a rare show of dissent, symbolically walked out of Monday's session to protest against the failure to pay oil and gas royalties.

During the assembly session, Dawood Shah, an MPA from Kohat, raised the issue on a point of order, stating that his division has an annual oil and gas production capacity of rs400 billion.

"Despite this, there is neither an oil refinery nor an oil marketing company in Kohat. Additionally, access to clean water remains a major issue. Shah lamented that in his constituency, several union councils rely on water from the same ponds where animals drink. He expressed frustration that the billions in royalties owed to the region remain unaccounted for, calling for the restoration of their rights.

He stated that his constituents question him about these issues, and asked if he cannot raise his voice in the assembly, where should he go? Announcing a symbolic walkout, he requested other MPAs from the division to join him.

Following this, Shah exited the assembly hall. Later, on the deputy speaker's request, K-P Law Minister Aftab Alam and opposition member Adnan Khan attempted to pacify the disgruntled members.

During the discussion, K-P Minister for Excise and Taxation Sajjad Khan acknowledged the validity of Shah's grievances. He noted that the chief minister had increased the gas royalty allocation from 10% to 15%, calling it a gift to the Kohat Division.

Despite the financial crisis, the CM assured that 15% of the royalty received this year would be spent on Kohat Division. However, he blamed the federal government for the nonrelease of funds, citing that in four years, only 20% of the allocated funds for merged districts had been provided.

He also pointed out that resources such as gas royalties, tobacco cess, and net hydel profit remain under federal control.

Sajjad Khan criticised the government's lack of action on historical injustices, mentioning the martyrdom of 55 ANP members in Liaquat Bagh and the brutal treatment of unarmed workers at D-Chowk.

He accused the current government of targeting Pashtuns, including the harassment of street vendors in Islamabad. He clarified that the province is not asking for royalties on gas, electricity, or tobacco, but simply for peace.

He condemned the police action in Punjab, where PTI workers' homes were raided, stating that if Punjab workers had stood by them, they might not have faced gunfire. He lamented that Pashtuns are being mistreated and labeled as dishonest, despite being peace-loving people.

Drawing parallels with the treatment of Bengalis in the past, he warned against repeating history.

Sajjad Khan also criticised successive governments for filing cases against their opponents and sending them to jail. He remarked that the kind of violence inflicted on them would be unprecedented even in Palestine.