Claiming that there was no shortage of gas in the country, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Ehsanullah Khan is reported to have also told PTV News that full pressure supplies have been restored to domestic, CNG and industrial consumers.
According to him, the gas outlets were closed or short supplied due to unprecedented increase in demand during the severe cold spell, hence topmost priority was accorded to ensuring full pressure supplies to domestic consumers as its deficiency had impacted CNG stations and industries.
And, seemingly, rhyming with minister's talk was a PTV report pointing to restoration of gas supply to 1250 textile mills as well, without any reference to the SOS addressed to Prime Minister Mohammadmian Soomro by Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) soliciting his prompt intervention to mitigate industrial losses and to avert labour unrest feared by the unscheduled cut-off of gas supply to about 3000 textile units in Faisalabad alone.
Be that as it may, but coming in the midst of confusion worse confounded by outcries to the contrary, the minister's revelations might have caused a pleasant surprise to some while sounding incredible to many others.
However, it will be needless to point out that all tall talk notwithstanding the country has remained gripped for quite some time now by an energy crisis which is worsening from a glaring lack of an objectively planned, scientific thrust. To say that we have been just groping in darkness to find a way out of the current a predicament will be a travesty of truth.
For, somehow conscious of the existence of a huge potential of energy resources, and thanks to the enterprising zeal and sense of devotion to purposeful development of the country's oil and gas reserves against heavy odds, we gained astounding success in the very early years in the wake of independence.
For one, reference may be made with a legitimate sense of pride to the harnessing of the nature's gift in the form of Sui gas. It is, however, just another matter that distracted by other urges and aspirations the early planners and managers of our economy failed to pursue it in the way other similarly placed countries did to their constantly multiplying gains.
Little wonder we find ourselves still trailing far behind where we otherwise would have been. Were it not so, all the energy targets set by President Pervez Musharraf for the year 2005 would not have been missed even after the lapse of two years, thus leading to the compulsion for expeditious import of gas to ensure its supply to the industrial sector at competitive rates for lowering down production cost.
It will also be recalled that under the new scheme of things later planned, due stress was laid on allocation of gas and its management in the face of shortage, to take care of the industrial sector's requirements.
Moreover to attract prospective investors, it was deemed expedient to assure them uninterrupted supply of gas through the import of pipeline gas and/or LNG, urging Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) by arranging LNG from abroad on fast track through private sector on BOT/BOTO basis.
It will also be noted that it was not for nothing that towards the end of the last fiscal the then Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz, was reportedly irked by the slow pace of privatisation, more so of at least five major public sector oil and gas distribution and exploration companies before the onset of the current financial year.
Obviously, this urge was driven by the comprehension of the alarming consequences of further delay in mobilisation of gas resources. The same can be said about PSO, PPL, SSGC, SNGPL and OGDC figuring prominently in the list of entities approved for privatisation.
So, instead of gloating about abundant availability of gas it will be in the fitness of things for the caretakers to push ahead with the schemes of expeditiously making the best of the nation's energy potential so as to avert the looming energy famine.
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