PESHAWAR: The All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) on Tuesday has said that the price of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in Pakistan is the highest in the region and must be brought down in accordance with prices in other countries.
CNG prices in Pakistan should match other countries where buying power of the masses is more or less the same, it said.
Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha, the chairman of Supreme Council of APCNGA speaking at a hurriedly-called meeting in Peshawar said that the price of CNG in Thailand is 76.70 per cent less than the price of petrol. Similarly, in Bangladesh, CNG is available at 68.61 per cent lesser price, 51.65 per cent in Indonesia and 58.84 per cent in India.
Paracha said that many countries including India and Bangladesh do not have any local substitute for gasoline and lack proper gas infrastructure as well, and have to import Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and pay for its conversion, but they still manage to sell CNG at prices lower than that in Pakistan.
The APCNGA chief said that as a policy, the US and many European Union (EU) countries have been promoting use of gas to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels due to uncertainty in supply chain, fluctuating prices and saving foreign exchange.
He added that many countries are doing away with the expensive LPG option, but in Pakistan, the CNG sector is being closed down to boost import of this costly fuel.
Paracha further alleged that decisions affecting the CNG sector are not taken on merit by the government but rather on the whims of the powerful oil lobby which wants to boost its business.
He added that the CNG sector needs immediate attention of the authorities since billions of rupees have been invested in it as well as 3.5 million cars that have been converted to use the fuel and millions are directly and indirectly employed in the sector.
The APCNGA chief said that gas, unlike oil, is a local resource - and offers an economical and cleaner option when compared to imported fuels which are costly and unfriendly to the environment.
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Indeed. The powerful oil lobby has long had Dr. Asim Hussain in their pocket. He is the mastermind behind the hike in CNG prices despite being fully aware of the impact this is having on the economy. The gas shortage is also a self created crisis to benefit a few selected individuals. We all know who I am talking about here.