KP governor, chief minister jointly criticise Centre over gas suspension

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday voiced criticism of the federal government over the suspension of gas supply in the province, calling on the Centre to ensure the province receives what they described as its constitutional and financial rights.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Peshawar, the chief minister said CNG stations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were being shut because of the gas shortage. Referring to the constitutional position on natural resources, he said the province should have priority over its own gas output.

At the press conference, Afridi said people in the province should not be pushed into more hardship and alleged that decisions taken without provincial input were being enforced on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He also accused the federal government of acting in an unlawful and unconstitutional manner in a number of development schemes and claimed that Rs12 billion earmarked for the merged tribal districts had been unfairly deducted.

Attributing his position to the Constitution, the chief minister said:

"Article 158 of the Constitution clearly states that a gas-producing province has the first right over its resources,"

He further said:

"The suspension of gas in the province is an illegal act,"

Afridi urged stakeholders not to back what he called unconstitutional steps against the province.

Security and provincial rights

On the law and order situation, the chief minister said peace could be restored in the province within 100 days if interference stopped and a joint strategy was developed with the provincial government.

Governor Kundi also questioned whether Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was being penalised for producing gas and electricity for the country, saying the province was supplying low-cost energy and mineral resources to the state. He said that if the province received its due share of water, it would not need to buy wheat.

The governor said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was already confronting terrorism and bearing heavy losses, including the deaths of police and army personnel, and warned that depriving the province of its rights would be unjust. He said the public had first been asked to make sacrifices on petrol and electricity and was now being tested through CNG as well.

Kundi said the provincial leadership had remained in contact with the federation and had repeatedly conveyed that such treatment of the province should end. He also appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to address Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s issues with the same urgency shown in other matters.

Letter to the prime minister

Separately, the chief minister wrote to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and sought an immediate resolution of the CNG issue in the province.

In the letter, Afridi said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa produces around 494mmcfd of gas, while its own consumption stands at 120 mmcfd. He stated that the province’s CNG sector needs between 36mmcfd and 40mmcfd of gas, but that this volume had been diverted to the fertiliser sector.

The chief minister warned in the letter that the continued suspension of gas supply to the CNG sector could lead to unrest and law and order problems in the province. He added that the transport sector depends heavily on CNG and that the use of more expensive fuels would place an extra burden on the public.

Afridi asked the prime minister to intervene immediately for restoration of gas supply to the CNG sector and to convene a meeting of the Council of Common Interests with the gas issue facing the CNG sector placed on the agenda.