PESHAWAR: President Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Engineer Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz has termed the federal government move to impose heavy burden of Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) rates on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), which is self-sufficient in natural gas, as a “conspiracy to further push the province towards economic turmoil and uncertainty”.
In a statement issued here on Thursday, Maqsood Pervaiz said that the additional burden of RLNG rates on the business community of KP is unfair and unconstitutional as it stands in violation of Article 158 of Pakistan’s constitution.
He made it clear to the federal government that they will not compromise on constitutional rights of the people of KP and warned that the business community will not allow the federal government to play a vicious game with KP’s industries and businesses.
SCCI chief said it is the constitutional right of the KP as a surplus producing province to fully exploit this natural resource and utilize the gas as per requirements of the province. In this regard, he said, SCCI has fully endorsed the provincial government’s stance and stands by it.
He went on to say that KP business community had already suffered from terrorism and extremism. He said that the federal government’s current decision merely meant to deprive the surplus gas-producing province from its constitutional right and to forcibly impose RLNG rates on it, which was tantamount to a vicious bid to suppress the KP economy.
Under the article 158 of the constitution of the country, the SCCI president said the gas-producing province has first right to take full benefit and utilize the natural gas as per its requirements.
Currently, he said the KP is self-sufficient and was producing surplus natural gas, so why is the federal government imposing a heavy burden of RLNG rates on the business community of the province, he asked.
“We fully support the provincial government stance regarding collection of own natural gas rates against RLNG”, he said, adding that the SCCI has strongly backed the provincial government, especially advisor to chief minister for power and energy, Himayatullah Khan in this regard. He vowed that SCCI will protect the provincial economy and constitutional rights of the KP at every forum and front.
