Karachi - Sindh Minister for Energy Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh on Tuesday said the federal government has intentionally suspended the gas supply to the captive power plants in Sindh that would lead to industrial crisis rendering a big number of workers jobless.
Speaking at an urgently called press conference at his office, the energy minister took exception on the central government’s decision of suspension of gas supply to the power plants.
He regretted that Sindh province was producing more than seventy percent of total natural gas of the country but its people were badly suffering due to shortage of gas.
He reminded Prime Minister Imran Khan of his assurance given to the business community during his meeting with them in Karachi two days back that industry would get smooth supply of gas throughout the year.
“Imran Khan has taken another U-turn and gas supply to the captive powers has been stopped,” he remarked. He said on one hand Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leadership claimed to have vote bank and mandate from Karachi but on the other, it had put the people of Karachi in trouble and to serious shock.
Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh said that he had telephoned to the Federal Minister for Petroleum and recorded Sindh Government’s protest on cutting the gas supply short.
“I also made it clear to him once again that first Sindh has right to use the natural gas as it contributes 70 percent of it,” he said adding that constitution of the country has given this right.
He urged the Prime Minister to take notice of the gas suspension to the captive power plants at industries of Sindh and order its immediate restoration.
To a question, the Minister said PTI was afraid of Pakistan Peoples Party’s strength and popularity and that was the reason PPP leadership was being targeted through National Accountability Bureau.
Such tactics were used against PPP in the past also but could not harm the party. The PPP leadership including its Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would not be pressurized through NAB or other state machinery, he said.
PPP has a long history of courageously facing all kind of state pressures and victimization in the past. But with the support of the masses of the country, the party not only survived but had been successfully fighting for the rights of people and strengthening of democracy and for the supremacy of the Constitution, Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh said.