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Awami National Party leader Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour is among the many election hopefuls who are defaulters of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), the gas company has found during its scrutiny of candidates for the July 25 polls.
A report in this regard, compiled by the SNGPL and sent to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), states that it is owed hundreds of millions of rupees by a sizable list of aspiring lawmakers — a bulk of whom are CNG station owners.
The biggest defaulter on the list, per the report, is Amjad Khan Afridi — a former MPA of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf who was expelled from the party. He owes the SNGPL Rs216,295,485.
Bilour, the erstwhile minister for railways and among the more notable names on the list, owes Rs144,670,715, whereas the outstanding amount pertaining to another leader Pervez Khattak stands at Rs106,575,071 in one case and Rs82,422,320 in another.
Hamid Saeed Kazmi, the former minister for religious affairs who belongs to the PPP, is also on the SNGPL list, although at Rs31,500 the amount he owes pales in comparison to the rest.
SNGPL's list of defaulters comes a day after the State Bank of Pakistan red-flagged more than 100 candidates and declared their particulars entered on their poll nomination papers as "extremely dubious".
Clarification: In an earlier version of this report, former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and PTI leader Pervez Khattak was incorrectly mentioned among the defaulters. The error is regretted.
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Comments (48) Closed
Jun 13, 2018 03:06pm
They must not be allowed to fight election as well as their family members.The owed money also to be recovered.
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Jun 13, 2018 03:08pm
Give them 5 days time to settle the dues with bank deposit receipt in favour of SNGPL and allowed to contest
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Jun 13, 2018 03:18pm
They'll get a stay order and continue as if nothing ever happened... The question is why did SNGPL not switch off the supply? Every day one reads or hears something that should not put into doubt that Pakistan is a failed state.
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Jun 13, 2018 03:21pm
I am a PTI supporter, but if they are at fault ban them.
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Jun 13, 2018 03:26pm
Why has the SNGPL allowed such huge amount of credit to accrue without taking any action to disconnect the supply to the said premises? If there is a genuine disagreement about the outstanding balances why hasn’t it been sorted prior to this? SNGPL and it’s staff leave a lot be desired in terms of their corrupt practices and extremely bad customer service to millions of people and at same allowing such astronomical amount of credit to accrue without taking any action to disconnect supply to these public figures. A major disgrace and should be investigated independently.
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Jun 13, 2018 03:29pm
I prefer PTI over any party but Imran Khan Sahab, is this what you promised us? The CM of your only government is a defaulter of 100 million rupees in bills!!! What a shame!
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Jun 13, 2018 03:35pm
People like Pervez Khattak default amount should be written off as he is building Naya Pakistan.
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Jun 13, 2018 03:37pm
So this Khatak would make Naya Pakistan!
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Jun 13, 2018 03:37pm
NAB should call audit for his corrupt tenure record.
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Jun 13, 2018 03:37pm
Thats why NAB was not allowed functioning KPK!
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Jun 13, 2018 03:50pm
You can expect this from Khattak while he was busy building the shiny NEW Pakistan in KPK. Where is the PTI SYSTEM (they use the term very excessively) which should have scrutinized them beforehand, way more ahead of their filing the nomination paper to ECP. Hopeless!
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Jun 13, 2018 03:50pm
This is just the tip of the iceberg.
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Jun 13, 2018 04:35pm
This does not make sense, Khattak owes this amount for what, supply to his personal residence?
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Jun 13, 2018 04:35pm
Defaulter for what, personal or Govt?.
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Jun 13, 2018 04:59pm
Good news.
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Jun 13, 2018 05:51pm
Courts, Please no stay orders. Government should recover this money including markup by confiscating the properties of the defaulters and ban them for life to hold public office.
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Jun 13, 2018 05:54pm
@Zubair
Yes I recommend IK should kick out this defaulter from his party. No if and buts.
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Jun 13, 2018 06:43pm
@Zubair not 100 million. It is 180 million my friend.
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Jun 13, 2018 07:43pm
"pay the bills"
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Jun 13, 2018 07:54pm
With common man SSGC (or SNGPL) they take no time in disconnecting. These corporations should also be taken to task for accumulating receivables and continuing to supply gas.
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Jun 13, 2018 08:18pm
Please leave PTI out of this. PTI is cleanest of all. True isn't it???
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Jun 13, 2018 08:23pm
@Zubair this is very misleading, surely he is not a defaulter for 100 million for his personal use is it?, think about it.
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Jun 13, 2018 08:27pm
The million dollar question is that where were these agencies & for that matter ECP, allowing these defaulters to contest 2013 elections & one being running a provincial government as CM for the last 5 years. It reflects a total apathy & indifference of those who are destined with providing the nation a clean and honest political setup and forces us to believe that no promised change would be forthcoming eiven after completion of present excercise of elections in the near future.The country which is in a dire need of an efficient, honest and vibrant new government capable of taking head on, the teething problem relatied to financial mess, we are in related to dwindling FE reserves just enough to take care of 2 months import bill, 34+ billion fiscal deficit, huge out standing debt servicing, 4.4% devaluation in currency, is bound to recieve a big jolt when it sees many dubious contestants & many other hidden defaulters, aspirng to be elected as our true representives in coming elections
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Jun 13, 2018 08:28pm
The amount being quoted is mind boggling. I as a normal domestic consumer will get the gas meter removed and supply disconnected if I fail to clear dues in two months.
There has got to be some mystery into this. Why the field staff failed to take punitive action on this.
Why the accounting system failed to highlight this when billing is computerized.
Serious intro inspection by SNGPL is required.
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Jun 13, 2018 08:29pm
Waw a common man doesn't pay/ delays payment of a bill worth Rs. 300, they cutoff his gas supply while these politicians are defaulters yet continuous supply of gas is being provided. Strange laws of the "Land of pure" and then they say a common man doesn't trust the law and the system. The VIP culture will only push the country into anarchy...!
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Jun 13, 2018 08:52pm
All these dues must be cleared before any of these defaulters are allowed to contest elections. Otherwise ban them and put them behind bars and confiscate their properties. I am a tax and bill paying pensioner Pakistani and if I am late in paying a few bill of 400 rupees, I am hounded by SNGPL. Then how come these criminals can get away with such huge amounts of dues? The SNGPL senior staff must also be held accountable.
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Jun 13, 2018 09:04pm
Our courts shall give go ahead to all.
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Jun 13, 2018 09:24pm
Defaulters should not be allowed to contest elections until the dues are paid off. Otherwise the party should expel them.
An ordinary person will get his gas disconnected if he delays paying his gas bill of a few thousands. These crooks owe hundreds of millions and they have no intention of paying yet they get to rule the country. Shame !
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Jun 13, 2018 09:55pm
PTI is no different. If PTI is really standing for change Pervez Khattak should be kicked out of the party.
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Jun 13, 2018 09:58pm
Ban the defaulters. they have sucked the nation dry of all their resources. They want to eat more of the poor nations resources.
They should all be sent to jail.
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Jun 13, 2018 10:22pm
They have made millions at the expense of the public. Make them repay all before they can stand for elections.
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Jun 13, 2018 10:35pm
@Wahid because when you are CM, nobody can dare to cut off your supply :)
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Jun 13, 2018 10:54pm
Corrupt SNGPL.
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Jun 13, 2018 11:16pm
That's a measily amount. They should be able to afford to pay that or block their cnic cards
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Jun 14, 2018 12:22am
Has SNGPL been sleep for the last 10years?? If these people are all defaulters why no action ??
Why now??
These same people have been fighting election for years
PTI are going to win election
To affect creditability of election
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Jun 14, 2018 12:27am
This is PTI's naya pakistan that you folk have wanted so bad.
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Jun 14, 2018 12:39am
All banking and utility companies defaulters should be banned from participating in any elections, until they clear their names. If there are any disputes, they should go to the court and settle it there, instead of taking stay orders on their nomination papers scrutiny.
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Jun 14, 2018 01:44am
Catch the authorities of SNGPL who did not disconnect supply after crossing the limit.
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Jun 14, 2018 01:55am
I am PTI Support. If khatak did not pay the bills. His nomination documents should not be accepted.
Imran khan should take action against him.
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Jun 14, 2018 02:52am
All the hundreds of millions money that Mr. Khattak owes needs to be recovered from him now. We cannot allow such people to swindle hundreds of millions of state resources.
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Jun 14, 2018 03:08am
At least they had a decency to put the CNG stations and Gas bills on their names rather than their children like NS. Sadly we've had to come to this that our yardstick to measure credibility of a person is whether he does crime in his names or his children's names.
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Jun 14, 2018 04:19am
Collect the money, otherwise they should not be allowed to contest polls. Very shamegul for PTI. I expected more from them!
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Jun 14, 2018 05:25am
No wander why he was CM of KPK.
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Jun 14, 2018 05:40am
And he's not behind bars and his assets are not been confiscated, only happens in PK
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Jun 14, 2018 05:45am
These outdated politicians should be banned for the rest of their lives.
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Jun 14, 2018 06:32am
@just saying
Exactly... why did SNGPL not switch off the supply above a certain limit, e.g., when balance reached 100,000 or something.
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Jun 14, 2018 12:47pm
@pakistan deserves better
Don't ban them. Just make them pay before accepting their papers. IF they can't pay the full amount right away because of the huge amount, have them pay at least 20% and then have a regular payment plan in place for the rest of the amount within a year. Any month they don't pay stipulated amount should lead to their disqualification.
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Jun 14, 2018 03:21pm
@Adil Jadoon a die hard fan of PTI like you can find some positivity even in this news....:)
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