PESHAWAR, 19 MAY (DNA) — Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had constituted a committee on the compressed natural gas (CNG) crisis in the province.
The development comes a day after, in a rare show of unity, the KP government and opposition joined hands over wheat and CNG crises in the province and demanded that the federal government resume wheat supply and withdraw its orders for the closure of CNG stations in the province.
The province has been affected by a CNG crisis since April, with several filling stations shut and millions of citizens struggling for affordable fuel. The situation has also negatively impacted the economic activity in the province. In a post on the social media platform X on Tuesday, Kundi said, “Thankful to PM Shehbaz for constituting a committee on the critical issue of CNG closure in KP.
“KP is producing nearly 508 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of natural gas against a requirement of around 130 mmcfd, yet our people continue to face unnecessary hardship,” Kundi said. The governor highlighted that under Article 158 of the Constitution, the province producing natural gas had the “first right and precedence over its usage”. He called for the constitutional rights of the people of KP to be upheld.
He expressed his gratitude to the KP government and “all political parties” for standing united on the issue. “On matters concerning the rights of KP and the welfare of our people, we must rise above political differences and speak with one voice,” Kundi said.
In a separate statement, Kundi said that KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati had called a meeting on the CNG and wheat crises in the province. “With the joint efforts of the opposition and the provincial government, the prime minister formed a committee on the issue of the CNG shutdown,” the governor said.
He added that a meeting would be held with the committee “very soon”, where the provincial government and opposition representatives would speak to the committee. Kundi said that the opposition in the province was playing an important role in provincial matters. “We stand with the government on provincial issues,” he stated.
“All rights of the province can be obtained from the federation through negotiations.” He stressed that there should be a focus on eliminating terrorism and improving governance in the province. On Monday, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had addressed a press conference alongside Kundi and Leader of the Opposition in the KP Assembly Dr Ibadullah, and said that KP was the largest shareholder in the local gas production but was “mistreated”.
He had also penned a letter to the premier and sought his intervention on an ongoing CNG crisis in the province, warning that the shortage was setting the stage for “widespread agitation” across the province.— DNA
