Sindh energy minister condemns curtailment of gas supply to Karachi

Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh has raised concern over the sudden suspension of the natural gas supply to a number of residential areas of Karachi.

In a statement issued on Saturday, he said the residents of Korangi, Mehmoodabad, Qayyumabad, Korangi Industrial Area, Mehran Town, Shah Faisal Colony and their adjoining areas were facing serious hardships due to the sudden curtailment of the gas supply.

He blamed the federal government for the hardships being endured by the residents of several localities in the city due to sudden stoppage of gas supply. He lamented that office workers, students, labourers, and elderly persons could not have food cooked at their homes to eat.

He mentioned that the Sindh government from time to time had reminded the federal petroleum ministry about the impending gas crisis with the start of winter, but to no avail. He lamented the situation that the federal government had failed to ensure timely availability of LNG before the start of winter.

Sheikh said that Karachi, being the hub of economic and commercial activities in the country, should not be subjected to a reduced gas supply in such a callous manner.

He said that residents of Karachi should not face gas load-shedding when Sindh produced natural gas much more than the requirements of its residents.

He also berated the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) allies from Sindh for being silent on the gas crisis.

Meanwhile, Special Assistant to Sindh Chief Minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Sindh General Secretary Waqar Mehdi also condemned the gas crisis in the province, saying that the crisis had been caused by the incompetent PTI-led federal government.

He maintained that Sindh produced 68 per cent of natural gas in the country, but in spite of that, its gas supply had been curtailed.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Mehdi lambasted the federal government, saying that it had turned off the stoves of households of Sindh, including Karachi. He said the PTI and its ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement claimed to be representatives of Karachi and they should answer why gas supply to the metropolis had been curtailed.

The PPP leader called for the federal government to answer to the people of Sindh about who was taking advantage of the gas produced in the province. "Imran Khan must stop robbing Sindh of its gas,” he said.

After snatching jobs and giving the gift of the worst inflation, the PTI now wanted to deprive the people of two meals a day, Mehdi said. He added that Karachi's industrialists were also worried about the gas crisis and were asking to whom the gas of Sindh was being supplied.