Sui gas connections: Supreme Court directs secretary petroleum to submit policy

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed secretary petroleum to submit policy regarding the supplying of Sui gas connections to the consumers in the country. Expressing concern over the giving of gas connection on political bases, the court observed that it was violation of Article 25 of the constitution.
The court said that there should be no discrimination in this regard and the petroleum ministry should adopt its policy for supplying gas connections to the consumers. A four-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry comprising Justice Muhammad Sair Ali, Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday was hearing a suo motu case against supplying of gas connection on political grounds, taken on the letter of female citizen of Gujar Khan.
During the proceedings, managing director Sui Northern Gas Company Limited (SNGPL), Rasheed Loan informed the court that gas was supplying on the directives of prime minister secretariat, because they allocated the funds for the new gas supply since 1992. Justice Ramday observed that gas connections were being used for rigging elections.
The MD admitted that there was always a political pressure on the department for supplying gas connections. He said that he had asked the government to stop supply of gas connection, as there was shortage of gas supply but it was political government, which could not implement the department's instructions. Justice Chaudhry said that political government should work for the whole nation not for a selected group of people. The court adjourned the hearing for three weeks.