Power Minister Omar Ayub blames Sindh govt for gas shortage in province

Power Minister Omar Ayub has alleged that the ongoing gas shortage in Sindh is due to the provincial government’s failure to provide a route for new gas pipelines in the province.

He said that the provincial government "is oppressing the people of Sindh by not providing a right of way" to the federal government.

Ayub said the federal government will lay new pipelines if the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) is allowed to do so by local authorities.

The minister also said that the provincial government had declined federal government’s offer to provide LNG under Article 158 of the Constitution.

Ghani says new pipelines were not discussed with Sindh govt

Provincial minister for information Saeed Ghani rejected Ayub’s allegation, saying that the gas pipelines mentioned by the power minister were not discussed with the Sindh government.

Ghani said that the federal government’s incompetency has ruined the people’s lives.

The gas crisis has made life difficult for Pakistanis who were already finding it difficult to brave cold temperatures during the winter season.

Commercial and industrial users have also been severely affected by the shortage. 

“We have started laying off daily wagers while regular employees have been served termination notices,” chief coordinator of Karachi Industrial Forum, Javed Bilwani said on Thursday.

CNG stations open briefly before shutting down indefinitely

CNG stations in Karachi opened on Friday night for eight hours and were ordered to close down for an indefinite period on Saturday morning.

Long queues were formed at CNG stations on Friday night after news spread that the stations have been allowed to supply gas.

However, the stations were soon ordered to close again in early hours of Saturday due to low gas pressure. The SSGC said that the stations will be allowed to open again when the gas pressure increases.

The closure of CNG stations has affected the daily commutes and lives of the people of Sindh as public transport has been patchy for days.