QUETTA: The Balochistan assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on Friday, demanding of the federal government to move the head offices of the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) from Karachi to Quetta.

The resolution, tabled by Samina Khan, said the people of Balochistan were facing a host of problems because the local office of the company was unable to resolve their issues.

The session of the provincial assembly was presided over by Speaker Mir Jan Mohammad Jamali.

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Taking part in debate on the resolution, members of the assembly expressed resentment over failure of the SSGC, OGDC (Oil and Gas Development Company) and PPL (Pakistan Petroleum Limited) to solve problems of the people of Balochistan and claimed that for even minor issues they had to visit Karachi.

They said officials at the local office of the SSGC were unable to take decisions on many issues and that they referred most of such cases to their office in Karachi.

The legislators said that low gas pressure was a serious problem afflicting consumers in Balochistan.

When people complained about the problem officials at the SSGC’s Quetta office asked them to contact the head office.

Concluding the debate, Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch said the successful completion of the Senate elections after peaceful local body elections in the province showed that the situation there had improved to a great extent. He expressed the hope that the situation would further improve in the coming days.

He said that after adoption of the 18th Amendment, the OGDC, PPL and other companies had to accept 50 per cent share of the province of its resources.

If the companies did not accept the “just share of the province”, the provincial government would not allow further exploration of gas from its reserves, he added.

The chief minister claimed that security situation in the province was improving. The provincial government was taking measures for solving problems of the people.

On a point of order raised by opposition member Sardar Akhtar Mengal, Dr Baloch assured the house that he would take up with the federal government the issue of Mama Qadeer and Farzana Majid, representatives of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) who had been stopped at the Karachi airport from going abroad.

According to sources, officials at the airport informed Mr Qadeer and Ms Majid that they could not take a flight to the US because their names were on the Exit Control List.

Mr Mengal said the VBMP representatives were peaceful citizens and they had launched a movement for the recovery of Baloch missing persons.

The session was adjourned until Monday.

Published in Dawn March 7th , 2015

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