News
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Gas shortage dominates NA session* Ch Nisar calls for replacement of minister for petroleum
* Says his party opposed to closure of CNG stations
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The chronic shortage of gas again dominated the proceedings of National Assembly on Friday, with opposition party PML-N asking the government to give real facts of the situation, while rejecting the offer of the treasury benches of a probe into the matter by a parliamentary committee.
Although PML-N members raised their voices against the scarcity of gas in the country, however, the party refrained from staging a walkout on the issue. Opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had asked the government in the last session to circulate the draft of facts on gas availability and shortage among the members by Monday. Although the gas issue was taken up by various members of the PML-N as well as the coalition partner of government ANP and MQM, Nisar Ali Khan added vigour to the debate on this issue by coming down hard on the government, particularly the Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, Dr Asim Hussain.
He advised that the minister should be replaced with a politician from the ruling party, who is aware of the miseries of the masses due to unavailability of the gas. Nisar dubbed Dr Hussain “a fake doctor”, saying he was rewarded with the ministry because of his close association with President Asif Ali Zardari, and called for bringing the minister before the House. He also demanded the resignation of the minister and civil servants dealing with the gas sector.
Nisar deplored there was lack of sensibility about the gas problem, and vowed to protest in the assembly against the “failure” of the government over the issue.
On the closure of CNG stations next month, Nisar said that his party was not in favour of this step, and if any member from opposition benches supported this arrangement, it would be his/her personal stance, having nothing to do with the party’s policy. PPP’s chief whip Federal Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khursheed Shah called for constituting a House committee to find out the real problem and offered the PML-N to chair it. “The committee should be bound to present its finding in next 15 days,” Shah suggested.
He said the stay order granted by court over 300 million cubic feet gas reserves in Kunar, Sindh, and litigation over LNG import, erupted over an article in newspapers. Responding to the offer of Shah, the opposition leader showed distrust in any committee probe into the matter, saying these committees have served no purpose in the present parliament, as not a single report of any committee was presented in the House except by the PAC, which he headed.
“If there is no regard for the recommendations of the joint sitting of parliament then what to talk about these committees,” Nisar remarked. Earlier at the start of question hour, Acting Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi showed his displeasure over the absence of secretaries concerned in the gallery, and directed establishment secretary to report about them in the next session on Monday. The assembly also unanimously passed The Carriage by Air Bill 2011.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk