Oil, gas regulator: Member gas challenges new appointment

Terms hiring of member oil illegal, but he may face charges of misconduct.

ISLAMABAD:

Critical work at the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) faces the threat of getting bogged down as its member gas is challenging the appointment of member oil and refusing to attend the regulator’s meetings to deal with the affairs of oil and gas sector.

Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Arif Ahmad Khan was recently given the additional charge of Ogra’s member oil by the division in an effort to clear the files that had been piling up because of the vacant slot.

Earlier, the cabinet division had advertised the post after retirement of former member oil Sabir Hussain and was processing applications.

According to sources, the Ogra chairman has called a meeting on Tuesday (today) and whether Member Gas Aamir Naseem will turn up will be known during the deliberations.

The member gas has written a letter to the cabinet division, arguing that the appointment of member oil is illegal, therefore, he will not take part in meetings of the regulator.

A senior official of the cabinet division, however, retorted that the federal government was a competent authority that could appoint any Ogra member.

“The member gas may face a case of misconduct in the Federal Public Service Commission by writing the letter to the cabinet division,” he said. “He is challenging an order of the federal government that gives additional charge to the additional secretary in order to deal with the affairs of the regulator in the absence of member oil.”

Talking to The Express Tribune, Ogra Chairman Saeed Ahmad said he was not aware of any such development.

Earlier, the hiring of member gas itself was challenged in the Islamabad High Court with the allegation that he had been brought in violation of rules and the judgment of the Supreme Court.

In a petition, the petitioner, Masood Javed, accused the member gas of being involved in criminal negligence and maladministration as general manager of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and said his appointment was in stark conflict of interest to Section 5(4) of Ogra Ordinance 2002.

According to him, the member gas was serving as senior general manager of SNGPL, a licensee of the regulator, when he joined Ogra.

This was a classical and worst case of conflict of interest that transformed the one being regulated into a regulator, the petition said.

Member Gas Aamir Naseem was approached for taking his views, but he did not respond.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30^th, 2014.

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