PESHAWAR
The president of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hasnain Khurshid Ahmad said on Wednesday that the government has planned to introduce National Weighted Average Cost of Gas through a legislation, adding that the business community would opposed it as its unlawful and against the interest of the province.
He said that the decision was against the law and a clear violation of 158-A, of the constitution and tantamount to usurping rights of gas producing provinces.
Hasnain Khurshid Ahmad informed that the federal government is planning to pass a bill to introduce WACOG by moving away from ring-fenced pricing and supply of local gas and imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) to various consumer categories meaning thereby to create appetite for RLNG as rationalization of consumer gas prices in the country.
He expressed these views during a meeting with a delegation of industrialists.
Participants of the meeting said after the passage of the bill all prices will be based on average cost of gas i.e. average cost of natural gas plus imported gas, which is against the Constitution of Pakistan and also not in the interest of net gas producing provinces.
He claimed that the bill would benefit only Punjab, which is the most gas consuming province with no natural gas resources.
“The proposed policy is tantamount to usurping constitutional rights of gas producing provinces,” the SCCI president said, vowing that they will strongly resist the National Weighted Average Cost of Gas implemented.
He quoted under Article 158 of the Constitution which clearly states that “the Province in which a well-head of natural gas is situated shall have precedence over other parts of Pakistan in meeting the requirements from that well head.”
As per the Article 158, Ahmad said, it is the ultimate right of the province to receive the gas at a cheaper rate. He added that the gas producing provinces do not need any RLNG because they are self-sufficient and net producers. The SCCI chief urged the authorities to look into the matter and protect the rights of the surplus gas producing provinces.
