ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly was informed on Friday that crude oil is being imported on a deferred payment basis only from Saudi Arabia for the period from February 7, 2022 to March 2023 which has been extended for further 10 months.
In a written reply to a question, Minister of State for Energy (Petroleum Division) Musadik Malik said that the last agreement was executed between the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) and the Ministry of Finance from 7th February 2022 to March 2023 which has been extended for further 10 months.
The Speaker and Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) expressed their resentment over the non-submission of replies to their queries by the Power Division. The Speaker National Assembly, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, and other treasury members lambasted the Power Division for its failure to answer the questions as some 10 questions had no reply.
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The NA speaker directed the energy minister to submit replies to the questions asked by the lawmakers or else it would be deemed as contempt of the house.
Ghous Bux Khan Mahar of Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) also flayed the Power Division for not responding to a question which was being deferred since 47th session.
The Power Division also came under fire for no electricity bills waiver announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for flood-affected districts’ rice mills in Sindh and Balochistan.
During the question hour, Mehreen Razaq Bhutto of PPP questioned the manifold increase in taxes on the bills of rice mills of Sindh and Balochistan, saying a delegation of rice mill owners from Kamber Shahdadkot met her and requested to help avail the waiver announced in electricity bills.
She termed the reply to her query as unsatisfactory and sought details from the parliamentary secretary on any intention of the ministry to either waive off the hefty electricity bills sent to the rice mills owners of Sindh.
Khursheed Junejo of PPPP said that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) charged extra taxes in electricity bills of the rice mills of Larkana and Jhal Magsi divisions of Sindh under an SRO.
He said that 2022 floods had completely damaged the rice crop and there was no income earned by the rice mills but the delegation claimed that heavy taxes were charged to them by the NEPRA in the bills.
Aftab Shaban Meerani regretted that the prime minister had announced the electricity waiver for the rice mills but was not implemented on ground.
The Speaker referred the matter to the relevant committee.
The parliamentary secretary for Power Division, Rana Iradat Sharif Khan, said that the taxes on electricity bills were levied by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and regulated through NEPRA, whereas, the House could pass its ruling to end the taxes.
He said that Rs10 billion subsidy on tariff differential was already being disbursed to the industry in this regard, adding the MNAs had confused the quarterly adjustments made by the NEPRA with taxes on electricity in their question.
Responding to a question, the parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs, Syed Hussain Tariq, said that the missions extend assistance to prisoners in accordance with local laws of the host countries.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023