Ready to address reservations of CM Sindh: SSGCL chairman

ISLAMABAD: The Sui Southern Gas Company Limited has said it is ready to address all reservations of Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, but warned that any action to cut off gas supply would be considered a violation of the Constitution.

While speaking to Geo News, SSGCL chairman Miftah Ismail said that an agreement was signed between the Sindh government and SSGCL on the Nooriabaad powerhouse, according to which the company would give Sindh the demanded gas quota when the provincial government provides a bank guarantee.

"The Sindh government assured us that they will soon give bank guarantee – which they did not. The moment they give us bank guarantee, we will provide them the gas supply," he said.

"Secondly, their management requested for some changes on Nooriabad which we have approved. We will make further changes if they want."

Ismail, who is also a minister of state and a Special Assistant to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said the gas company did not set any unacceptable precondition as alleged by the provincial chief minister. 

"We had consensus on an agreement two or three days ago. Shah is aware of it.  Today we have sent them the draft agreement. Our lawyers will vet it and then we will sign it."

He said that, as a minister of the state, he would put effort to address the reservations of CM Sindh.

Ismail's comments come in response to a warning by the Sindh chief minister, who has threatened to cut off gas supply from Sindh to the rest of the country if the province's concerns over gas distribution are not addressed by the end of the week.

Speaking on the floor of the Sindh Assembly, Shah threatened that in case the SSGCL does not take the province's concerns into consideration then the Sindh government would forcefully take over their offices.

"I am warning SSGCL. If they don’t sign their offices are situated in Karachi. We will storm their offices. We will not let them work here. We will take over their offices, and I will do it by force. "

The development comes weeks after he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif alleging that Punjab was usurping the share of gas allocated to Sindh.

Shah said: "I spoke with the Chairman SSGCL yesterday, I said to him that please take our consideration into the gas distribution agreement otherwise I have to take drastic action. I said that I will wait till 11 in the morning," further adding," At 11' o clock today he sent the agreement, I checked it before coming here and even now they have taken the same clauses which are not acceptable to us."

The chief minister said that he has told the energy department that if the federal government and SSGCL doesn't accept the demands of Sindh on the issue then he will take an action after seeking support from the treasury and opposition benches.   

"Sindh produces 70% gas of the total production and ironically the province is not getting it. We are not able to test-run a 100mg powerhouse at Nooriabad because SSGCL is not providing us enough gas."