LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif has expressed concern over suspension of gas supplies to industries and CNG sector in the country.

“The tragic and endless loadshedding of electricity and gas has been going on since last month. Particularly, gas loadshedding in summers is the worst mismanagement in the energy sector,” he said in a statement here on Sunday.

“Despite the availability of surplus power, the ‘worst’ loadshedding continues in the country. What could be worse mismanagement than this”?

He said the circumstances disproved the ruling PTI’s claim that the PML-N government had generated more power than needed by the country. “Time has proved that the PML-N has increased the national power generation capacity keeping in view energy needs of the country.”

The opposition leader saw corruption behind this ‘manipulated’ energy sector loadshedding. “Behind the loadshedding of gas and electricity is the desire of the PTI to make money and it speaks volumes of its incompetence,” he said, holding the prime minister and his cabinet as the main cause of gas and electricity loadshedding.

He said the suspension of gas to the local industry and CNG sector is another bad news for the nation. Recalling that the incumbent government had earlier blamed the gas crisis on the two-day closure of the LNG terminal, he asked what is the reason and justification for this gas shutdown.

“PTI’s lust for money is costing the industry and CNG owners billions of rupees,” he said, adding that excessive inflation, unemployment, gas loadshedding in a devastated economy is tantamount to rubbing salt to the wounds of the affected people.

He demanded that the government hold a debate on the crisis in the National Assembly so that any solution could be found to give relief to the people by solving this problem.

Meanwhile, Federal Energy Minister Hammad Azhar said in a statement that gas supplies to the industrial and CNG sectors were suspended to divert the gas to power generation.

This step was needed for making up the deficit in the electricity generation due to closure of the Hub power plant hit by lightning and low outflows from Mangla Dam.

“Due to a lightning strike on China Hub power plant and low outflows from Mangla Dam, some local gas (3.75 per cent of total) is being diverted to the power sector to meet its peak demands. This is a temporary arrangement for a few days,” the minister said in a tweet.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2021