Peshawar - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Board of Investment and Trade (KP BOIT) Vice Chairman  Mohsin Aziz has called for provision of 40MMCF gas to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for generation of 200 megawatt electricity.
He said that the electricity generated instead of shifting on national grid should be allowed for the utilisation of industries. Furthermore, 40MMCF gas should be provided for consumption in industrial sector. The step, he said would play a fundamental and unique role in the economic development of the province.
He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the victim of both economic and financial backwardness and always demanding the announcement of incentives for the establishment of new industries. He said that location disadvantage including long distance from sea port and market are basic reasons behind its backwardness. Mohsin Aziz said that the province has sufficient gas reservoirs and the constitution also accepts this right of the province. The total collective gas production of the province is 370MMCF while the industries are supplied only 40MMCF gas. He said that though Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has written several letters to Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources and Prime Minister of Pakistan for provision of 80 to 100 MMCF gas and 40MMCF to labour intensive industries while another 40MMCF gas should be provided for increase in electricity production.
He further said that though Prime Minister in the meeting of the Council of Common Interest (CCI) has approved the provision of additional gas to the province, but it would still not prove beneficial for KP as the additional electricity would be shifted on national grid and the required energy could not be supplied to industries.
The vice chairman KP BOIT said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has remained frontline in war against terrorism and the sacrifices rendered by the residents of Peshawar and other parts of the province have become part and parcel of the history. He said that keeping in view the unprecedented sacrifices of the people of the province, discriminatory treatment with KP is their legal, constitutional and economic right.