Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday demanded of the federal government to ensure gas supplies to Sindh, as residential consumers are the worst sufferers from the utility load shedding in winter.
Discussing an adjournment motion on gas load shedding during the Sindh Assembly session, he said that the province generates about 2,900 mmcfd whereas it needs about 1500 mmcfd but failed the get even closer amount of the utility. He told the assembly that his government has dispatched a letter to premier, Imran Khan to seek gas share to the province. He said that the first letter was not replied by the prime minister.
He said that Sindh received Rs10 billion less revenue share than that it continued to get in the last years. He said that the province should be given its constitutional first right to utilize gas what it produces. "We [Sindh] don't want any concessions," rather a right to use gas according to the Constitution. The federation is not supplying gas to Sindh, he said in his policy statement in the legislature.
Arif Mustafa Jatoi, GDA's legislator, said that the PPP's Sindh government should boycott National Assembly proceedings for not getting its due share of gas. He asked the ruling PPP to take along the opposition for Sindh's rights. Sindh Energy Minister, Imtiaz Shaikh criticised the PTI government in centre, saying that federal government is not interested in solving the gas crisis in Sindh. He also said that the Ogra has completely failed to make any headway to end the gas crisis that has engulfed.
PTI's Firdous Shamim Naqvi, who is the opposition leader in the house, said that the gas crisis is an important issue that Sindh is faced with. He said that what caused the gas pressure to slow down in the province, the house should also discuss it too. "If the province has its first right to use gas than why is not it getting it," he questioned, saying that the treasury is just interested in politicizing every issue.
The house also discussed another resolution that MMA's Syed Abdul Rasheed had tabled, as the mover said that the administration misused the apex court's order on ending encroachments from the city. He said that the anti-encroachment drive left thousands of people jobless, who were primarily associated with the businesses razed by the authorities. He said that the impression has grown that 'Muhajirs broke Pathans shops".
He said that the apex court's orders never said that the mosques and shops, questioning that whom helped the encroachments grow in the city. He said that debris from the razed shops and other constructions could not be lifted even after three months of the drive. MQM's Muhammad Hussain Khan said that the impression on razing the construction under anti-encroachment drive should not be linked to the city mayor.
He said that there are segments in the society to blame the mayor for all the fallout of the drive. Sindh Local Government Minister, Saeed Ghani said that the drive was launched on the court's orders and the issue therefore stands as sub judice. He asked the legislators to avoid discussing issues which are before the court. The house also adopted a resolution related to the media house, which are not paying salaries to their employees. The house will not meet on Monday at 2 pm.