NA session: Shut down ‘redundant’ OGRA, advises Dr Asim

Dr Asim Hussain says body’s ‘faulty’ policies against country’s interest.

ISLAMABAD:

Adviser to the prime minister on Petroleum and Natural Resources Dr Asim Hussain advised the government to shut down the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) for a host of reasons: It lacks understanding of its own job; its faulty decision-making has sent two revenue-generating institutions to near bankruptcy and it has put the exchequer under extra burden by accommodating huge subsidies on gas to consumers. 

“This so-called independent body has taken decisions that are totally against the country’s interests. It is a redundant body. And I recommend we close it,” Hussain said replying to a calling attention notice on the recent increase in gas tariff during Thursday’s session of the National Assembly. Ogra’s failure featured in all his replies to questions on the calling attention.

This prompted the chairman to direct Hussain to move a resolution for the auhtority’s dissolution if he was so convinced of its redundancy. “You are a member of the cabinet. Why don’t you move a resolution on this?” asked Chairman Nadeem Afzal Gondal.

“I have already moved the cabinet on this issue and I am willing to move (a resolution) in this house as well,” the adviser said, upon which Gondal asked him to consult the law minister.

Hussain said it was because of the regulatory body’s wrong policies on fixing gas prices that the government had to bear the burden of huge subsidies given to consumers by keeping the prices down.

“The government is selling Rs400 worth of natural gas at Rs100 to the consumers. There is no other example of this much subsidy being given anywhere in the world,” he said.



He said that Ogra pushed two revenue generating institutions, the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Pipelines Limited (SSGPL), on the verge of bankruptcy. “Soon we will have another institution that would be run on the government’s bailout packages,” said Hussain.

He added that OGRA’s failures would also affect his ministry’s initiative to bring alternative gas supply systems to the country.

Women’s protest

All women members present in the house protested against MNA Kashmala Tariq’s exclusion from a sub-committee of the National Assembly Standing Committee on human rights over a dispute between anchor Ayesha Sana and Pakistan Television (PTV) Managing Director Yousuf Baig Mirza.

As soon as Riaz Fatiana, also the chairperson of the human rights committee, took the chair of the house, MNA Anusha Rehman stood up on a point of order and demanded Fatiana to include Tariq in the sub-committee. “Excluding Kashmala Tariq from the sub-committee raises questions and suspicions,” she said.



During a meeting of the committee earlier, Tariq had alleged that Fatiana was making efforts to convince anchor Sana on an out-of-the-committee deal with the PTV MD.

During Thursday’s session, all women members gathered around Tariq and tried to interrupt the proceedings. Fatiana tried to restore order in the house before abruptly adjourning it just when the women approached his rostrum.

Meanwhile, Law Minister Farooq H Naek blocked MNA Tasneem Siddiqui’s attempt to move a bill to amend the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961.

The law minister opposed the bill on the grounds that it pertained only to marriage and divorce, while the member wanted to amend inheritance rights. Siddiqui, however, said that her proposed bill was about inheritance rights of eunuchs and the children whose sex could not be determined.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2013.