‘Beefing up political clout’: PTI govt approves new gas schemes despite shortage

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Saturday gave go-ahead for 121 new gas development schemes, despite severe shortage in the country at a cost of Rs6.051 billion for 2019-2020, reported The News.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will receive the maximum share of the schemes, 61, followed by Sindh 42, Punjab 17 and Islamabad just one. No gas development scheme has been approved for Balochistan.

"Despite stiff opposition by the Petroleum Division’s (PD) top bosses, the government approved the schemes to beef up political clout in the constituencies of the PTI MPs," the publication said.

The decision was taken in a steering committee meeting on Sustainable Development Goals Achievements Program (SAP) headed by Minister for Defense Pervez Khattak. The meeting which was held on December 2, 2019, was attended by federal ministers Shafqat Mehmood, Fehmida Mirza, Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Omar Ayub Khan, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Ali Mohammad Khan, and MNAs Aamer Mehmood Kiani, Aftab Hussain Siddiqui, Khan Muhammad Khan Jamali, Amer Dogar, and Aminul Haq. Federal Minister for Planning Division Asad Umar attended the meeting as a guest.

According to an official source, 25,000,00 applications for gas connection were still pending with the Sui Northern, and if they were connected, about 150-200 MMCFD gas would also be consumed. The said schemes are subject to provision of certification by the Petroleum Division. However, the head of the steering committee on SAP has stepped up the pressure on the PD for issuing the required certification.

In the follow-up meeting, the official said, Khattak "got angry" when the Petroleum Division opposed the decision taken in December 2 meeting and argued that KP and Sindh have surplus gas and the government will complete the gas development schemes at any cost. 

“Balochistan also has a surplus, but no gas schemes were approved for that province,” the report said quoting the official.

In the meeting, Khattak said that in the provinces where gas was surplus for gas development schemes, there was no need for a certificate from the Petroleum Division. However, Punjab was a province where the gas deficit is on the higher side and the certificate is required for gas development scheme there. 

But a representative from Punjab objected to this observation by the defence minister saying when Punjab had surplus wheat it was not allowed to export the commodity, but first asked to cater to the food needs of the provinces where less wheat was produced.

When contacted, Khattak said, “Yes, I asked the Petroleum Division officials that Sindh, Balochistan and KP have a surplus in gas and therefore there was no need to have a certification from the Petroleum Division.”

However, the defence minister insisted that the decision of 121 schemes had not finalised yet and all would be made as per law. Khattak said people would be provided with gas through the development schemes.

Asked if the development schemes were being initiated to beef up political clout in the PTI constituencies, he said the government took the decision to facilitate the masses. When asked why the government was launching new gas schemes when the country was facing a gas deficit, Khattak said Sindh, Balochistan and KP have surplus gas. However, he advised against printing and highlighting the news about the new gas development schemes. 

Petroleum Division spokesman Ayub Chaudhary, Additional Secretary (P) said they were waiting for the minutes of the follow-up meeting of the steering committee and after which Energy Minister Ayub would be updated on the minutes and then a decision would be taken accordingly. However, he agreed that gas was not enough for more connections.

According to minutes of the December 2 meeting available with The News, for Nowshera alone, Khattak managed to get approval for 40 gas development schemes. It is pertinent to mention that Nowshera is the constituency of the defence minister. The steering committee approved 19 development schemes for Malakand and two for Mardan to beef up the PTI political base in the two areas. 

In Sindh, the PTI has approved 42 gas development schemes only in Badin to appease its allies including Minister Mirza and others in Badin but no gas scheme for any other part of Sindh was approved.

For Punjab, the steering committee approved 17 schemes including three for Bahawalpur, two for Chakwal, five for Faisalabad, two each for Gujrat and Rahim Yar Khan, and one each of Rawalpindi, Sargodha and Islamabad.

Originally published in The News