Former Advisor to Prime Minister on Petroleum and Natural Resources Dr Asim Hussain has accused former premier Raja Pervez Ashraf of approving licences for CNG stations during latter's last days in office. Talking to Business Recorder here on Tuesday, Dr Asim said the matter was already in the Supreme Court where Secretary Petroleum Abid Saeed through an affidavit had stated that licences for 69 CNG stations were issued on the directives of Raja Pervez Ashraf.
Dr Asim insisted that Minister was not the final authority to allow installation of CNG stations as this was the sole prerogative of the Prime Minister. When asked about the documentary evidence presented by former Prime Minister before the investigators of National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the former advisor said that there were some 20 summaries circulating on the issue. "I am not going to declare the summary presented by Raja Pervez Ashraf before the NAB authorities as fake but it is in my knowledge that some 20 summaries were being circulated on the same issue and it is not in my knowledge which summary Raja Pervez Ashraf has provided to NAB," Asim stated.
As a minister, he said, he not only opposed the idea of setting up of new CNG stations but he made all-out efforts to disband the CNG sector. "I am clear on this issue, the government needs to phase-out CNG stations as they are eating about 500 Million Cubic Feet per Day (MMCFD) precious natural gas without generating any economic activity," he added. He said that in August 2011 soon after he assumed the charge of the Petroleum Ministry he declared Tuaqir Sadiq the then chairman Ogra as a thief and recommended to the government to remove him on corruption charges.