‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Ke Sath’: Govt took no steps to affect gas crisis
ISLAMABAD: The country is facing severe gas shortage currently, and therefore the crisis is probably going to worsen within the next month January, which can adversely affect all sectors including domestic, power and industrial.
This was stated by the host of Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ also because the participants within the programme. Shahzeb Khanzada said the gas crisis had been getting worst, and in January it might intensify further. He said in his analysis that the govt was cognizant of the gas crisis during the winter, but the choices weren't taken timely, neither new LNG terminals were found out nor work on pipeline was launched on time. He said delay in opening tender caused the country on multiple fronts because the gas got expensive and will not adequately be provided to satisfy the requirements of the month of January which will trigger certain gas crisis.
Currently, the domestic consumers are facing serious gas shortage and low pressure issue, and similarly the industry has also been facing same problem which will hurt the country’s exports.
According to reporter Khalid Mustafa’s story in ‘The News’ on Monday, the people were forced to shop for LPG to fulfil their domestic requirements, while at some places, wood was the choice . It said the crisis would worsen during subsequent month and therefore the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has no option but to chop the gas supply completely to the facility sector.
Even after the availability move the facility sector, the govt could save only 250 MMCFD and 250 MMCFD more gas would be required to fulfil the domestic demand. The sources said the export industry may bear a one-day gas loadshedding during a week during the month of January, because the gas crisis would be intensified between January 4 to twenty , because the govt decided to not buy gas thanks to high rate of $12 to $15 of the LNG.
The sources said the govt has been trying to shift December’s LNG cargoes to January to minimise the gas crisis, while some sources said the govt is additionally in-tuned with the Qatari government for LGN supply. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Petroleum claimed that no planned loadshedding was being finished domestic, commercial and industrial sectors, although there have been some complaints regarding the pressure . During a survey conducted by Geo News, the consumers said there was no gas in the least , while others said the pressure was adequate to none and therefore the people were forced to shop for meals from hotels and utilising LPG cylinders to cook food reception .
Businessman Group Chairman Zubair Motiwala said that currently the local industry was facing severe gas shortage. He said the govt ministers and advisors including Omar Ayub, Nadeem Babar, Hammad Azhar and Hafeez Sheikh had refused to supply gas to the industries, and asked them to shop for LNG [liquefied natural gas] instead, which was quite injustice with them. He said Sindh had such an outsized gas reserves that we didn't need getting the RLNG [regasified liquefied natural gas]. He said currently we've export orders; we would like the industry to run and make employment opportunities.
Motiwala said official rate of gas is 786, but we, the industrialists, agreed to shop for it for 930 with the condition that uninterrupted gas supply would be made to the industries and Sunday wouldn't be a closed holiday for the world . He said the federal ministers had agreed to all or any these conditions.
However, regretted Motiwala, the promise wasn't kept by the govt . On Dec 15, gas supply remained suspended for five hours, on Dec 16, for eight hours, on Dec 18, for nine hours, and on Dec 19, gas supply remained suspended for 12 hours. He said during coronavirus pandemic, a clear increase had been witnessed within the textile sector exports. He said India was offering less rates than Pakistan, and with the top of corona, Pakistan’s exports would face a decrease again.
The Businessman Group chairman said if the country wanted to extend exports also as create job opportunities, the textile sector should be provided uninterrupted gas supply with full pressure. If the gas supply would remain suspended for 12 to 14 hours daily, how the world would fulfil it export commitments, asked Motiwala.
He said the country would be ready to get long-term export orders if it remained successful in satisfying the buyers, who had come to Pakistan, leaving aside its competitors, India and Bangladesh.
Motiwala said there would be severe gas shortage in Pakistan in January and therefore the industry would need to experience a significant crisis. He said the Sindh government wasn't allowing the federal to get down a gas pipeline. The industrialists helped the petroleum ministry get the provincial government permission for a 17-km gas pipeline. However, if no LNG cargo ships reached Pakistan in January, country’s credibility would suffer at the international level badly, added Motiwala.
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