The Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission’s diligent work in looking for shortfalls in the supply line of natural gas in the country has led to detailed findings which will help in streamlining the industry. Prime Minister Imran Khan appointed four members to this commission at the tail end of 2018, and just over a year later, tangible results can be seen. Both the Prime Minister and his appointments deserve all the plaudits for this.

The fact that an estimated $2 billion is lost annually as a result of issues with supply is something that was assumed, but the exact details only emerged through this commission. A complete lack of previous oversight is the only way this slipped under the radar. A yearlong investigation that leads to such a revelation is time well spent; it is hoped that the commission, under the watchful eyes of the Prime Minister, will continue to find such discrepancies and abnormalities across different sectors and issues.

As far as the supply line of natural gas is concerned, it is no surprise that theft, incorrect measurements, mismanagement and mistakes in policymaking led to an astronomical loss on a yearly basis. Across-the-board, the many problems affecting the energy sector are similar in nature and have persisted for decades. Lack of government action in these areas in the past has led to inconsistent supply and increasing costs. One can only wonder whether the supply of these natural resources could have been made uninterrupted and how much citizens would stand to save if previous governments would have taken action.

Nevertheless, past mistakes aside, this report provides the government the opportunity to plug these leaks where possible. Corruption and clamping down on theft will not be easy, but are absolutely necessary to ensure that the gas supply line stops bleeding money. The Inspection Commission’s report is a positive and tangible output of something that the government has been looking into. Its efforts must now be backed by concrete action.